Recent content by Robert Jansen

From decades past: I recall a demonstration in my 8th grade Chemistry class when 500ml of water was combined with 500ml of methanol, resulting in 950ml of mixture.

What's the difference between toilet paper and shower curtains? So you're the one!

I can't tell you the joke about 288 because it's two gross.

There is a school of thought that holds that a truly sentient AI (i.e., one that is self aware) will go insane in a relatively short time (measured in hours, possibly even minutes or seconds). Homo Sapiens, at the species level, should hope that view is correct.

As long as the topic is humor (in bad taste or otherwise), let me suggest The Best of the Journal of Irreproducible Results.

Manhole covers are round for a simple reason: circular covers cannot fall into the hole.

Wordle requires you to solve one word in 5 lines. Today's Hurdle requires a sequence of incremental solutions, each building on the previous one, and the final word must be solved in only 2, not 5.

For those who find Wordle too easy, try "Today's Hurdle." It's basically Wordle on steroids. https://hurdlegame.io/

What's another word for thesaurus?

Let's start with the fundamental characteristics of chaotic systems. Mathematically speaking, they're infinite, recursive, self-similar under scaling, and sensitive to initial conditions. I find that the first and fourth descriptors give rise to "wiggle room." The problem with infinite...

I posted my comment because I am an amateur (in the nonpejorative sense of the word) student of chaos theory. Straightforward applications of the subject have led to 2 utility patents. Presently interested in the mathematics of self-organizing nonlinear dynamic systems, which is obviously an...

A nominally chaotic system can be regulated to a limited degree by interfering with its tipping points. This is functionally equivalent to exercising a limited degree of control over initial conditions. This is particularly useful when applied to enclosed flows.