Beyond Euclid #193

Welcome to Beyond Euclid #193, 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.

For the past couple of weeks, my garage had turned into a complete mess: toolboxes left open, bike tires piled in a corner, cables tangled, boxes stacked everywhere… Over the weekend I suddenly got a burst of energy, went in, put everything back in place, swept, and polished it spotless. The next day after work, when I switched on the garage light, I just stared blankly for 5–10 seconds; it was so tidy I almost didn’t recognize the place, like I had walked into the wrong garage.

But once I started working again, it quickly turned back into chaos: the drill here, the Allen key over there, screws scattering as if they had their own will. Just like my boss at the office laughs at my messy desk and says, “Looks like you worked hard today,” my neighbor who sees the garage says, “Wow, big project must’ve happened here.” Because that mess reflects my speed, my constant shifting of ideas, and my habit of rushing through three things at once.

I think mess really expresses a person’s mood, charac…