Simon’s Magnum Opus
At the beginning of each year, I make a very long, ridiculous video (which I like to call a “magnum opus”). Last year it was the 2048 cookies project. This … Continue reading Simon’s Magnum Opus
Tag: proof
Babylonian Method vs. Newton’s Method of extracting square roots
Simon has proved that the two methods are exactly the same.
A quick experiment to prove that a catenary is not a parabola
I sampled 9 points on this curve. The x coordinates have constant increments (equally spaced horizontal coordinates). I then measured the y coordinates — that’s what the numbers at the … Continue reading A quick experiment to prove that a catenary is not a parabola
Simon contemplating various voting systems
Last night, using simple logic, Simon proved to me why a two-candidate plurality voting system is better than many others. There’s a theorem called Arrow’s Theorem which says that any … Continue reading Simon contemplating various voting systems
Simon’s videos are featured on the Global Math Project website!
In October, Simon’s videos were featured on the Global Math Project website! The bulk are his latest three videos with detailed proofs of pile-splitting magic: In this video, I will … Continue reading Simon’s videos are featured on the Global Math Project website!
Too Many Twos Solution Proof
Simon has come up with an equation to solve the Too many Twos, the puzzle mode of the Add ‘Em Up game: x is the number of twos I used … Continue reading Too Many Twos Solution Proof
Approximating pi and e with Randomness
This has been one of Simon’s most ambitious (successful) projects so far and a beautiful grand finale of 2019, also marking his channel reaching 1K subscribers. The project – approximating … Continue reading Approximating pi and e with Randomness
Proof Visualization. Warning: Mind-boggling!
Inspired by the Card Flipping Proof by Numberphile, Simon created his own version of this proof. He made a solitaire game and proved why it would be impossible to solve … Continue reading Proof Visualization. Warning: Mind-boggling!
MathsJam Antwerp 20 November 2019. A Blast and a Responsibility.
Today, Simon returned to a problem he first encountered at a MathsJam in summer: “Pick random numbers between 0 and 1, until the sum exceeds 1. What is the expected … Continue reading MathsJam Antwerp 20 November 2019. A Blast and a Responsibility.
The beauty of the Cubic Formula
One of Simon’s most beloved sources of knowledge is the Welch Labs channel. Recently he has been rewatching the series about imaginary numbers and the history of their discovery. Did … Continue reading The beauty of the Cubic Formula
Simon’s Cycle Formula
During Chinese lesson yesterday, Simon came up with what he calls his “Cycle formula” to calculate all the permutations of placing n numbers in a cyclical order (like on a … Continue reading Simon’s Cycle Formula
Why the Golden Ratio and not -1/the Golden Ratio?
Take any real number and call it x. Then plug it into the equation f(x) = 1 + 1/x and keep doing it many times in a row, plugging the … Continue reading Why the Golden Ratio and not -1/the Golden Ratio?
Geeks out of the box 