Making Sense of Presidential Polls
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the presidential polls? A neuroscientist and statistician talk about how to make sense of the election—and why not all votes are created equal.
The SciFri Book Club Visits ‘Flatland’
Mathematician Ian Stewart joins the September book club meeting for a look at Edwin Abbott’s ‘Flatland.’
Actress Danica McKellar Helps “Girls Get Curves”
Actress and math education advocate Danica McKellar tackles geometry in her latest book.
Alan Turing at 100
A look at the man who helped create the modern world–and was promptly forgotten by it.
Putting a Friendly Face on Statistics
Turning data into faces makes people take notice.
Best Bubbles
Astronauts are allowed to bring special “crew preference” items when they go up in space. NASA astronaut Don Pettit chose candy corn for his five and a half month stint aboard the International Space Station. But these candy corn were more than a snack; Pettit used them for experimentation.
What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the study of what happens when things get very, very small – only a few atoms in size. The word “nanometer” means one billionth of a meter, perhaps five or six atoms long. At the nanoscale, materials can have very different physical or chemical properties, even though they are the same. In particular, super thin films of material, only a few nanometers thick, can cause interference within light reflecting off them, resulting in beautiful displays of colors.
Creating The Never-Ending Bloom
Using meticulously crafted platforms, patterns, and layers, Edmark’s art explores the seemingly magical properties that are present in spiral geometries.