Beyond Euclid - #126
Welcome to Beyond Euclid #126, the newsletter for the best mathematics and science stuff of the week. I am Ali, and I curate cool math and science stuff every week to help you have a better week.
📰 Last weekend, I had a very long discussion with a friend about extension cords. The triple extension cord was actually a double extension cord because there's already one socket on the wall that I can use. Now, when we plug in the triple extension cord, we get two extra outlets. So it doesn't seem right to me that a product is sold as a triple extension cable when its benefit to me is two extra outlets.
For this week, I recommend one of my favorite song, "Rich Folks Hoax from Rodriguez!
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• More than a trillion cicadas will emerge from underground this spring in the Midwest and Southeast, an event that has not happened in over two centuries. Two adjacent broods of cicadas, Brood XIX and Brood XIII, will emerge at the same time.
• Male cicadas attract females with a loud buzzing noise, but they are harmless to humans. Female cicadas lay eggs by cutting small slits in twigs, but this does minimal damage to trees. Cicadas benefit the ecosystem by aerating the soil and providing food for other animals.
• You can also read my Medium post, Cicadas: The Beautiful Bugs Using Prime Numbers to Stay Alive.
• The first fractal molecule in nature, a protein called citrate synthase, was discovered by an international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute and Philipps University on April 10, 2024. The protein spontaneously assembles into a Sierpinski triangle pattern, a repeating series of triangles made of smaller triangles.
• The Fourier Transform, explained in one sentence by Stuart Riffle. It is literally brilliant!
• The Monty Hall problem is a famous brain teaser and probability puzzle based on a game show. It was originally posted in 1975 and gained widespread attention after being featured in Marilyn Vos Savant's column in 1990. Many people, including 1000 PhDs, rejected Savant's explanation that switching doors is the best strategy. However, simulations and mathematical proofs have shown that switching is more likely to win. The problem is considered a cognitive illusion because the solution goes against intuition.
• Here is a true story that will make you smile! Forty-six years ago, retired science teacher Patrick Moriarty promised his 9th-grade students a party for the April 8, 2024, eclipse. Then, he reminded his students every year until the event. About 100 former students from different states celebrated with him and their families.
• You can watch a three-hour, real-time telescope feed of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse over North America. This beautiful NASA video showcases live-streamed views from locations along the path of totality—Mexico to Maine.
• Pep Carrió's daily diary series made me look. Since 2007, he has been drawing illustrations on his Moleskine notebooks. You can follow him on Instagram.
• Humans have been counting and using numerical systems since ancient times. As life's complexity increased, traditional counting methods were no longer sufficient. Different civilizations developed their notation systems for recording numbers. Various civilizations worldwide developed their own mathematical frameworks and systems. The Arabic numeral system with base ten is the most widely used today. This beautiful TED-Ed introduces the history of numbers and various numerical innovations and systems.
• I found the most beautiful waffle maker ever: the "Tetris" Waffle Maker. It is a beautiful tool to spend time with your kids or a perfect gift idea for an inner childhood gamer. You can get it on Amazon!
• This week, I came across a very interesting fact about the English scientist Henry Cavendish. Despite his monumental discoveries of physical laws like Ohm's, Dalton's, and Charles's, he was an incredibly shy individual. His modesty was such that he did not seek credit for these discoveries, choosing not to publish his notes or share them with other scientists.
Cavendish is also noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he called "inflammable air."
• Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician and discovered that hand washing with chlorinated lime solutions greatly reduced mortality rates, particularly in obstetrical clinics in the 19th century. However, his findings were initially rejected by the medical community due to established beliefs and lack of scientific explanation. His contributions were only accepted years after his death when other scientists like Louis Pasteur further developed the germ theory of disease.
Imagine, a man comes out and says 'let's wash our hands before surgery, I think it's healthier', and a group of scientists say 'that can't happen, you dirty bigot'. It really boggles my mind.
• A new window coating has been developed at the University of Notre Dame that blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and allows for visible light, regardless of the sun’s angle. This coating can be applied to existing windows and automobiles and reduces air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.
• Paris has invested in bike lanes and reduced car parking spaces in efforts to combat climate change. As a result, bicycles have overtaken cars as the preferred mode of transportation in Paris, according to a recent study. The Institut Paris Region conducted the study and followed 3,337 residents aged 16-80. Walking remains the top choice for trips within the city at 53.5%, followed by public transport at 30%.
Paris win!! Anything to topple car dominance is a checkmark on my "help the environment" list :)