Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Who can prove 1 = -1? Alexander Farrugia, Mathematics PhD student (spectral gra... 604 votes In the very first lecture I had as a student at my local university, the lecturer greeted us with the following argument. We had to spot what was wrong with it. In the sequ... Read More »

What did Professor Feynman say in his last lecture in Caltech? Darius Bacon 213 votes I attended this lecture as a freshman. Word got out and many non-frosh snuck in; I had trouble finding a seat. When he appeared he was in shockingly bad shape, but good spi... Read More »

Why do so many CS graduates flunk simple interview questions in algorithms? Liliana Ziolek 748 votes I'll tell you a story. I finished uni 8 years ago (started working part time 2 years before graduating). At uni, I was super-good with algorithms, I was even part of an el... Read More »

What is the shortest scientific paper ever published? Jay McKinnon 406 votes In 2013, Evolutionary Anthropology published an article which approaches the theoretical boundary for the shortest academic article possible: it's two words. Enough alread...  Read More »

If everyone in a plane were to jump up at the very same time, what would happen to the plane? Tim Hibbetts, Kayaking up Denial 2.1k votes The first thing that will happen is that most people will hit their heads on the overhead. Right after that, the people who didn't hit their heads, along with about half wh... Read More »

Why should I care about elephant poaching? Alon Amit, Mathcircler and Origamist. 1.4k votes - Daddy? - Yes sweetie? ... Read More »

What's the most realistic WWII movie? Kathleen Grace, artist, photographer, writer & wistfu... 1.7k votes At a screening for Saving Private Ryan, my date and I sat next to a man who was a veteran of the Normandy invasion. He was by himself in the theater, an act I thought quit... Read More »

What are some of the Japanese hygiene habits which the rest of the world should know? Makiko Itoh 520 votes I'm not sure the rest of the world needs to know anything all about the hygiene habits of a given country. But in case you will be visiting Japan here are some things you s... Read More »

How well does army camouflage work? Jon Davis, Writer and Blogger on Military, Veter... 750 votes It isn't like they never worked... ... Read More »

What should I do if I'm confronted by a gunman and he's 3-6 feet away and I know he is about to shoot me with a typical handgun? Daniel Kearns, Aircraft Broker 680 votes 3-6 feet away is well inside the range to attack the weapon. The hand is quicker than the eye and your action is faster than his reaction. ... Read More »