I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.

Richard Feynman

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The Prime Factors of 999999

The prime factorization of 999999 allows us to compute repeating decimals for some common fractions. I work through this idea.

fortunai

I describe the process of using ChatGPT-3.5 to write a program that uses OpenAI's API. The program generates LLM fortunes a la the Unix command 'fortune'.

Problem Solving with Dimensional Analysis

Dimensional analysis is the technique of analyzing relationships through their base quantities. I demonstrate the power of this approach by approximating a Gaussian integral without calculus.

Estimating Square Roots in Your Head

I explore an ancient algorithm, sometimes called Heron's method, for estimating square roots without a calculator.

How Dangerous Is Biking in New York?

I estimate my probability of serious injury or death from bike commuting to work in New York, using public data from city's Department of Transportation.

Exponential Decay

Many phenomena can be modeled as exponential decay. I discuss this model in detail, focusing on natural exponential decay (base ee) and various useful properties.

Blockchain in 19 Lines of Python

I walk through a simple Python implementation of blockchain technology, commonly used for public ledgers in cryptocurrencies.

Solving Geometric Series

I describe a useful trick for computing geometric series without closed-form solutions.

Lagrange Polynomials

In numerical analysis, the Lagrange polynomial is the polynomial of least degree that exactly coincides with a set of data points. I provide the geometric intuition and proof of correctness for this idea.