Takes Two to Tangle

Quantum mechanics is extremely weird, not least because of all the hybrid zombie cats involved. However, there is a phenomenon that is even more puzzling for us to understand as macroscopic beings known as quantum entanglement. This topic has been at the very heart of the disparity between classical and quantum physics and is one of the primary features that sets the two apart. Despite being completely counterintuitive even to the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century, the predictions made by quantum mechanics especially in regards to entanglement have resulted in physicists having to rethink the way in which we perceive our physical reality. Let’s take a quick look, shall we, but try not to get yourself in too much of a tangle…

Chin-Chin!

We learners of science don’t just spend our time sitting at desks solving maths equations or writing up experimental reports. Neither do we spend all day at the lab in infamous white coats pipetting toxic chemicals. Sometimes, just sometimes, we like to pop over to the ol’ watering hole (Ye Olde Tavern around the corner).

Avast Ye!

Ahoy, me hearties! A friend of mine had an interview recently for a data science position during which he was asked to solve, or at least explain his thought processes for, several mathematical logic problems. One of them in particular he found especially confusing and offered it to me to tackle. I realised that I had already come across the same problem a long time before, under the context of infamously difficult out-of-the-box interview questions one was likely to get asked at large tech companies like Google or Microsoft. Upon revealing the answer to him, he was fascinated at how deceptively simple the solution was, as is often the case with logic problems in hindsight. I thought it would be interesting to pose this problem for you to muse over in today’s post, followed by the solution at the end for verification, although I strongly encourage you to have a go first before looking!

Holy Mother of Pearls!

If you’re lucky enough to visit the northern regions of Scandinavia or Canada in the winter, you may be in with a chance of observing this magnificent beauty of a cloud…

A Whirling Showerthought

Alright hear me out here. I am personally of the opinion that taking a shower can be quite a precarious task. One small misstep onto a particularly lubricated surface? Suddenly you’re toppling to your unfortunate demise. Apply too much shampoo? Suddenly you’re rendered sightless and at the mercy of all those malicious shower monsters that only strike when you foolishly close your eyes (you know the ones I’m talking about). And as if I couldn’t make it any more obvious, the very curtains whose purpose it is to shield you from the outside world whilst you are in your most vulnerable state… will actively attack you. I can see why horror film directors have such a proclivity towards showers.