Another dive into Simon’s sketchbook
Some more beautiful pages (from January and February) I forgot to share:
Author: Geeks out of the Box
This is a blog about Simon, a young mathematician and programmer, and his little sister Neva. We write this blog together, share their projects and thoughts on their journey towards self-dicovery. They’re growing up in a supportive non-coercive learning environment. We deeply believe in interest-based, self-paced education and have had to move countries to make this possible as a family.
Visit Simon’s website at https://simontiger.com/
We are a family from Amsterdam who moved to Antwerp because homeschooling is illegal in The Netherlands.
This blog started as https://antwerpenhomeschooling.wordpress.com in March 2016. Over the years, most of our entries have gravitated towards exploring together with Simon as he has developed an insatiable passion for programming, math and science. His sister Neva is treading on his heals. We changed or name to Geeks of the Box in May 2021.
Predicting weight by calculating area or center of gravity
Simon tried to predict the weight of some of his constructor pieces by calculating their approximate area. He later also successfully predicted the weight of a binder clip through calculating … Continue reading Predicting weight by calculating area or center of gravity
Physics Experiments: Human Lung Simulation
Inspired by the ActionLab channel, Simon and his sister Neva have developed this interesting tool below that helps understand how human lungs and diaphragm work: the plastic bottle has a … Continue reading Physics Experiments: Human Lung Simulation
Physics Experiments: A 6 meter long straw
This is a remake of a Veritasium video, Simon and Neva attempt to suck up a 6 meter long (6mm thick) straw.
A Guest from Space
An unbelievable experience Friday night, as we were on an Antwerp rooftop prepping to observe Uranus and Orion nebula through a telescope, Simon and I (and one more person next … Continue reading A Guest from Space
Physics Experiments: Gyroscopic Procession
Simon has always wanted to experiment with torque-induced precession (gyroscopic precession), a phenomenon usually demonstrated with a heavy wheel one can hold perpendicular to the ground as long as it … Continue reading Physics Experiments: Gyroscopic Procession
Shapes of constant width
Simon made these Reuleaux triangle from red cardboard. They are formed from the intersection of three circular disks, each having its center on the boundary of the other two. Its boundary … Continue reading Shapes of constant width
The Math Behind 2048
Simon shares his strategy to win a 2048 game. He has also worked out a general formula of what a maximum tile can be in any grid. For a 4 … Continue reading The Math Behind 2048
Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
Simon working on his proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (he got stuck and then searched for existing proofs online).
Topological trick in slow motion
Simon (and Neva as his assistant) experimenting with the topology of a paper strip, filming their (almost magical) tricks on a slow motion camera: Inspired by Tadashi Tokieda’s geometry and … Continue reading Topological trick in slow motion
Physics Experiments: Air is Compressible Fluid
A demo of how Pascal’s Law doesn’t apply to compressible fluids.
Geeks out of the box 