04 NOV 2018 by ideonexus
Degenerate Strategies and Cheating
Why isn't using a degenerate strategy considered cheating? Degenerate strategies take advantage of weaknesses in the rules of a game, but do not actually violate the rules. What kind of player would play in this way? The answer is both a dedicated player, who is overzealously seeking the perfect strategy, and an unsportsmanlike player, who has found a hole in the rules to exploit, even though he understands that he is not playing the game the way it was intended. These two kinds of players ca... 1 
notes
notesIs the same true of memorizing algorithms to solve the rubiks cube?
04 NOV 2018 by ideonexus
Dice Rolls are Suspect
It is true that every aspect of the role of dice may be suspect: the dice themselves, the form and texture of the
surface, the person throwing them. If we push the analysis to its extreme, we may even wonder what chance
has to do with it at all. Neither the course of the dice nor their rebounds rely on chance; they are governed by
the strict determinism of rational mechanics. Billiards is based on the same principles, and it has never been
considered a game of chance. So in the final analysis...Folksonomies: games randomness
Folksonomies: games randomness
1 notes
notes02 SEP 2016 by ideonexus
Mathematical Cue Words
Addition: add, plus, sum, total, altogether, increased by, grew, gained, total of, combined, more than (as in, “3 more than 7 is 10”), put together, in all
Subtraction: minus, take away, diff erence, less than, from, remove, subtract, gives away, sells, loses, fewer than, decreased by, diff erence between
Multiplication: product, times, doubled (tripled, etc.), some problems give information about one and ask for total amounts (also, when dealing with multiplication of fractions, of us... 1 notes
notes22 APR 2014 by ideonexus
Knowledge VS Understanding
Knowledge
understanding
The facts
The meaning of the facts
A body of coherent facts
The “theory” that provides coherence and meaning to those facts
Verifiable claims
Fallible, in-process theories
Rightor wrong
A matter of degree or sophistication
I know something to be true
I understand why it is, what makes it knowledge
I respond on cue with what I know
I judge when to and when not to use what I know
1 notes
notes27 SEP 2013 by ideonexus
加油 as a Term of Encouragement
The Chinese characters say 加油 (Jia1 you2).加 is composed of 力 (power) and 口 (mouth). It means 'to add'油 is made out of 水 (氵, water) and 由(from/ due). It means oil.加（to add） 油（oil）= add oil or make an extra effort
加油 is a terribly common phrase in day to day life. If you want to encourage someone to carry on great work, or in a sports competition, you say 加油! A bit like 'go on!' in English.
Of course another literal meaning of 加油 is to refuel.
1 ShaoLan explains how the symbols break down.
07 MAY 2012 by ideonexus
History of Science and Religion
Some people want to put warning stickers on biology textbooks, saying that the theory of evolution is just one of many theories, take it or leave it. Now, religion long predates science; it'll be here forever. That's not the issue. The problem comes when religion enters the science classroom. There's no tradition of scientists knocking down the Sunday school door, telling preachers what to teach. Scientists don't picket churches. By and arge—though it may not look this way today—science a... 1 notes
notesHow the Middle East was the center of scientific progress until religious fever took over it, the same is seen in Jewish and Christian cultures.
23 APR 2012 by ideonexus
Study in Silence to Improve Context-Sensitive Memory Reca...
Context-dependency eects on memory for lists of unrelated words have been shown more often
with recall than with recognition. Context dependency for meaningful text material was
examined using two standard academic testing techniques: short answer (recall) and multiple
choice (recognition). Forty participants read an article in either silent or noisy conditions; their
reading comprehension was assessed with both types of test under silent or noisy conditions.
Both tests showed context-depende... 1 notes
notesBecause memory is context-sensitive, with it being easier to recall memories when immersed in the same environmental stimuli in which they were recorded, it is better to study in silence because exams are given in silent environments.
20 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
An Origami Metaphor for Fetal Development
The sheets of tissue that
fold, invaginate and turn inside out in a developing embryo do indeed grow, and it is that very growth that provides part of the motive force which, in origami, is supplied by the human hand. If
you wanted to make an origami model with a sheet of living tissue instead of dead paper, there is at
least a sporting chance that, if the sheet were to grow in just the right way, not uniformly but faster
in some parts of the sheet than in others, this might automatically cau...Cells divide and fold into new forms, just as origami structures become other structures through new folds.
20 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Enjoying Science Requires Effort
When you have reached and entered the gates of science, how are you to use and enjoy this new and beautiful land?
This is a very important question for you may make a twofold use of it. If you are only ambitious to shine in the world, you may use it chiefly to get prizes, to be at the top of your class, or to pass in examinations; but if you also enjoy discovering its secrets, and desire to learn more and more of nature and to revel in dreams of its beauty, then you will study science for it...
1 Many don't love nature and don't fall in love with science as a result.
19 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
The Empty Space in an Atom
A favourite analogy portrays the nucleus as a fly
in the middle of a sports stadium. The nearest neighbouring nucleus is another fly, in the middle of
an adjacent stadium. The electrons of each atom are buzzing about in orbit around their respective flies, smaller than the tiniest gnats, too small to be seen on the same scale as the flies. When we
look at a solid lump of iron or rock, we are 'really' looking at what is almost entirely empty space. It
looks and feels solid and opaque because o...Our senses are not adapted to experience the empty space between atoms.
