Biology / Computing / Earth & Space / Economics / Engineering / Food Science / History / Language / Maths / Mind / Music & Sound / Physics

Step away.
Come back smarter.

Short, interactive explainers for your break from work. Read one in thirty seconds, dive deeper if you like, then get back to it.

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Food Science4 min read Why oil and water mix in mayonnaise: an egg yolk coats every droplet Oil and water refuse to mix, yet mayonnaise is about two-thirds to four-fifths oil and holds its shape on a spoon. One… Physics5 min read Why the bottom of a dropped Slinky hangs in mid-air: a wave has to bring the news Hold a Slinky by its top, let it stretch, and let go. The top rushes down while the bottom coil hovers, apparently… Biology4 min read How thousands of fireflies flash in time with no leader: pulse-coupled oscillators On riverbank trees in Southeast Asia, thousands of male fireflies flash together, with no leader and no shared clock… History4 min read How a stick and a well measured the whole Earth: Eratosthenes Around 240 BC, the librarian Eratosthenes measured the size of the Earth using a well, a stick and a shadow. At noon on… Maths4 min read Why switching doors wins twice as often: the Monty Hall problem Three doors, one car. You pick one, the host opens a goat door, and offers a swap. Most people say it's 50/50. It… Earth & Space4 min read How astronomers measure a star's distance by looking from both sides of the Earth's orbit: parallax Hold a thumb at arm's length and blink one eye, then the other: the thumb jumps against the background. Astronomers do…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 8 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 6 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 7 breaks 04 EconomicsPrices, incentives and why markets do what they do. 5 breaks 05 EngineeringHow things are built, and why they don't fall down. 5 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 7 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 8 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 7 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 6 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 5 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 7 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 7 breaks

How it works

30 Second Break is a collection of short explainers for curious people of every age. Each break is one idea you can read in thirty seconds, with an optional deep dive that has its own interactive design.

01
Pick a topic
Browse by category, or hit Random.
02
Read for 30 seconds
Go deeper if you have a few more minutes.
03
Back to work
One thing smarter than before.