Euler’s number
The number e is a very mysterious constant. Unlike “pi,” it’s not at all obvious where it came from or what it actually means. And it’s far from clear what “magical” properties it possesses,...
Category: Science
What is a logarithm
One of the most misunderstood mathematical operations is the logarithm. Why logarithms are needed, how and where they are used, almost no one knows. It seems like something boring and only needed by mathematicians....
Square-Cube Law
There are things shown in movies that are impossible in the real world: giant walking robots, Godzilla, giant insects, Spider-Man, people with wings like angels… All of this is “prevented” by one interesting law,...
How a Jet Engine Works
When talking about jet engines, people usually mean gas turbine engines, like those used in airplanes. However, in reality, a jet engine can also refer to a rocket engine or a ship’s water jet....
Stealth technology
In fact, it’s a very simple idea. But it has become so shrouded in myths that to most people it seems like something highly complex, secret, and mysterious. How does stealth technology actually work?...
Aircraft cruising speed
You’ve probably heard the term “cruising speed of an aircraft” many times. But have you ever wondered what it really means? Most people who use this term don’t actually understand its meaning. There’s a...
Maximum Helicopter Speed
The speed of a typical helicopter rarely exceeds 200–300 kilometers per hour. Even military helicopters, for which flight speed can be critically important, rarely accelerate above 350 kilometers per hour. It seems there’s a...
Squaring the Circle
There is one remarkable mathematical problem in history, which evolved from a simple mental exercise for the philosophers of ancient Greece into a very complex issue that had a significant impact on science on...
The History of Pi
This is the most famous irrational and transcendental number in the world. Even people who don’t know what it means and don’t remember what they were taught in school know that there is such...
Different Methods of Multiplication
Everyone knows how to multiply column-wise, fewer people know about multiplication with lines, but there are other interesting methods too. Multiplication is a very simple operation, in fact, it’s essentially the same as addition....
What is an integral in simple terms
Integrals are first studied in school. But no teacher explains why they are needed or how to use this knowledge in life. Few people can even explain in simple terms what an integral is,...
What are limits in simple terms
Limits are one of the most difficult concepts to understand in mathematics. It’s hard to explain simply what a limit is, so most often, no one tries. And moreover, few teachers can give an...
