How Much Pi Do You Really Need?
If we use the single digit version in which π = 3, what would happen to our height calculation? The answer: nothing.Remember that the basic trig functions…
Browsing Tag
estimation
Transfer learning offers new insight into machine-learning error estimation
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Omar Maddouri, a doctoral student…
What It Would Take to Bring the ISS Back to Earth in One Piece
To keep the ISS orbiting until 2031, the space agencies that maintain it need to periodically do something to counteract this drag force. The ISS doesn’t…
What Happens If a Space Elevator Breaks
So what if, instead of launching atop a chemical rocket, your object could just ride up on a cable that reaches all the way into space? That's what would…
The Physics of Wile E. Coyote’s 10 Billion-Volt Electromagnet
I like to analyze the physics of science fiction, and so I'm going to argue that the Merrie Melodies cartoon “Compressed Hare” takes place in the far future…
The World Is Messy. Idealizations Make the Physics Simple
Sometimes the universe is just too complicated to analyze.Heck, if you take a tennis ball and toss it across the room, even that is practically too…
Can Your Gravitational Pull Affect Your Game of Pool?
Think of this plot in terms of area. The area on the graph covered by the blue data (to hit the 2 ball) is much greater than the area on the graph showing…
Will Nathan Drake Make This Jump in the Uncharted Trailer?
The time it takes for Drake to move in the vertical direction is the exact same time it takes for him to move horizontally. This means that I can use the…
Yoti develops age estimation algorithm for under-13s
Digital identity platform Yoti has announced that its biometric age estimation technology can now deliver accurate, real-time age assurance for…
Could MJ Really Hang on During Spider-Man’s Swing?
Really, there are just three things I need to estimate: the length of the web during the swing, the speed of MJ at the bottom of the swing, and MJ’s mass.…