Bottling the Sun, Part 1

In 2019, around 85% of global energy demand was met with fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas. Even if we ignore the obvious environmental damage caused by burning off all our fossil fuels, we'll never escape the other issue: they won't last forever! An Our World in Data article [1] estimates that our remaining reserves of fossil fuels, whe... Read more 15 Apr 2021

Should you run in the rain to stay dry?

When faced with a downpour, a natural instinct is to run, so we don't get too wet - but does it really help? If it does, then should we run as fast as we can? Is there an optimal speed? And what if the rain falls at an angle? I thought I'd sit down and try to reason this out... The Back of the Napkin Imagine what the rain sees. From its perspect... Read more 06 Dec 2020

The German Tank Problem

Sometimes I stumble upon fascinating instances of math being directly applicable in the history of warfare that doesn't involve the creation of weapons or technology. The World War II Enigma code, its workings, and its subsequent breaking by Polish and British cryptographers is a great example, especially if you have a knack for diabolically cle... Read more 06 Jul 2020