Think Like An Engineer: Let's Design A Solution
KidsCreativityExperimentsHow-to...Squeaks, Jessi, and the gang are designing a raft for their friend Juniper. They'll think like engineers and learn how to create a design that solves their problem.
Think Like An Engineer: Juniper's Problem
KidsCreativityExperimentsHow-to...Our friend Juniper needs a boat, and ours is missing! Jessi proposes we think like engineers and gather information to find a way to solve our problem.
The Figure 8 Knot Has Never Failed. Why?
AdultsConstructionEducationPhysics...Modern roped rock climbing, one of the nerdiest sports, relies almost entirely on a single type of knot for safety: the figure eight knot.
Can you solve the troll's paradox riddle?
AdultsCreativityMental HealthFun...You and your brother have discovered another realm and set off exploring the new wonderful world. Along the way, you see a troll catching creatures in an enormous net. The troll agrees to release the creatures if you can come up with a statement that is both truth and false. Can you come up with the correct sentence and force the troll to release them?
How to solve problems like a designer
AdultsCreativityDesignVisual Design...The design process for problem-solving, in 4 steps.
Can you find the next number in this sequence? - Alex Gendler
AdultsCreativityMathScience...1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221. These are the first five elements of a number sequence. Can you figure out what comes next? Alex Gendler reveals the answer and explains how beyond just being a neat puzzle, this type of sequence has practical applications as well.
Can you solve the fish riddle? - Steve Wyborney
AdultsCreativityNatureProblem-SolvingAs the cargo director on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Buoyant, you've agreed to transport several tanks containing the last specimens of an endangered fish species to their new aquarium. Unfortunately, the boat is battered by a fierce storm, throwing your precious cargo overboard. Can you get the fish to safety and save the day? Steve Wyborney shows how.
Can you solve the pirate riddle? - Alex Gendler
AdultsMathPsychologyProblem-Solving...It's a good day to be a pirate. Amaro and his four mateys - Bart, Charlotte, Daniel, and Eliza have struck gold - a chest with 100 coins. But now, they must divvy up the booty according to the pirate code - and pirate code is notoriously complicated. Can you help come up with the distribution that Amaro should propose to make sure he lives to tell the tale? Alex Gendler shows how.
Can you solve the three gods riddle? - Alex Gendler
AdultsCreativityMathProblem-SolvingYou and your team have crash-landed on an ancient planet. Can you appease the three alien overlords who rule it and get your team safely home? Created by logician Raymond Smullyan, and popularized by his colleague George Boolos, this riddle has been called the hardest logic puzzle ever. Alex Gendler shows how to solve it.
The Simple Solution to Traffic
AdultsCitiesTransportationSociety...The way we can make traffic disappear.
Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle?
AdultsCreativityMathFun...You and nine other individuals have been captured by super-intelligent alien overlords. The aliens think humans look quite tasty, but their civilization forbids eating highly logical and cooperative beings. Unfortunately, they're not sure whether you qualify, so they decide to give you all a test. Can you solve this hat riddle? Alex Gendler shows how.
The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can
AdultsBusinessProductivityEngineering...Bill details the engineering choices underlying the design of a beverage can. He explains why it is cylindrical, outlines the manufacturing steps needed to created the can, notes why the can narrows near it lid, show close ups of the double-seam that hold the lid on, and details the complex operation of the tab that opens the can.
Beaker Ball Balance Problem
AdultsInternet CulturePhysicsMath...This problem has made the rounds on the internet but I felt it deserved a treatment like this.