What information are you given as an operator?
Much about automobiles has changed greatly over the past decade or two. Part of it comes from different ideas of what the driver should be doing.
The yellow zone vs. the idiot light
If it’s worth doing. . .
Why bother with tentative research?
Our astronomer ponders the state of the science in the middle of the last century, when things were so different and difficult.
What are tests for?
Several possible answers (and an essay)
One of our consultants has begun tutoring, which has brought him into contact with the world of standardized tests after many years away.
It doesn’t look like that
The universe is photoshopped
Our astronomer points out that that pictures of outer space don’t actually show what you’d see if you went there.
Unhappy with success
The Standard Model works too well
An enormous apparatus for scientific research is finding only what was expected. This bothers scientists.
The scientific cult of personality
Do electrons care about Feynman?
Our chief consultant explores an unexpected feature of scientific magazines.
The distance to the stars
A matter of small and big numbers
Having mentioned the difficulty of finding the distances to stars last week, our astronomer tries to put some unfamiliar numbers within your grasp.
A plausible assumption
It’s reasonable and makes sense, but it’s wrong
Our astronomer describes how an assumption widely made in his science in past years turned out to be completely erroneous.
Why an f-stop?
It’s all the astronomers’ fault
Our photographic consultant is reminded how complicated things are for beginners, no matter how straightforward it all seems to the professionals.
Applied numerology
Why astronomers are natural translators
Our astronomer offers an apology and an explanation.