Math
Positive vs. Negative Sum Games
If I have an extra cup of coffee, and you have an extra two dollars, we both come out ahead when I agree to sell it to you.
Math
The art of quantifying our world.
Math
Chickens and Goats
You could, given enough time, transmit the entirety of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to someone half a mile away by tossing chickens and goats off a bridge.
Math
Pizza Party
The local pizza shop has two specials, and you can choose either two 12" pizzas or one 18" pizza for the same price. Which is the better deal?
Math
Queuing Theory
When we're designing a system, it's easy to fall into the trap of assuming optimal conditions.
Math
Simpson's Paradox
Simpson's paradox is a statistical phenomenon that occurs when a pattern across groups of data disappears when those groups are combined.
Math
Compounding
A genie appears and offers you a million dollars now, or a sum of money every day for a month, starting with one penny today and doubling the amount you receive every day.
Math
The Monty Hall Problem
Imagine you're on a game show facing three closed doors. The host tells you that one door has a car behind it, but the other two have goats.
Math
Context Matters
It's easy to be misled by stats because they seem so objective, but they're easy to use in a dishonest way, even when they’re technically true.
Math
Strathern’s Insight
“When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”