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The Monthy Hall problem

The Monthy Hall problem is a maths problem that is easy to understand but the solution isn’t so intuitive. The problem is as follows: Suppose you’re on a game show, and you’re given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door. The host, who[…]

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Stars do not twinkle

Stars appear to twinkle because we view them through our atmosphere. The light rays get refracted by the miles of air in our atmosphere, and random pockets of cold / warm air causes the light rays to shift in random patterns – so the point-like light sources seem to twinkle. Stars (except for the Sun)[…]

Please revert soon

We often receive mails that say “Please revert soon.”This is inaccurate. You can say: “Please reply soon.” Revert means reversing to a previous state, condition, practice etc. Example for revert: After the discipline master left the class, the girls reverted to their squabbling.

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Leidenfrost effect

The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid’s boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly. This is most commonly seen when cooking; one sprinkles drops of water in a pan to gauge its temperature: if the[…]

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Ice blocks or crushed ice?

“Mrs Heng prepared ice lemonade for her son’s birthday party. She would like the drink to remain chilled with ice for as long as possible. Which type of ice, blocks or crushed, should she use?” The short answer: Ice blocks. They have less surface area in contact area with the drink than crushed ice. So[…]