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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Mind4 min read Why a dot vanishes when you look away from it: the blind spot where the optic nerve exits Close one eye, stare at a cross, and a dot a hand's width away simply vanishes. That is your blind spot: the place… Engineering4 min read Why Taipei 101 hangs a 660-tonne ball in its upper floors: the tuned mass damper At the top of Taipei 101 a 660-tonne steel ball hangs in plain view. It is not decoration: it is a tuned mass damper… Economics5 min read Why a free shortcut can make everyone's commute longer: Braess's paradox Build a brand-new road and every commute gets longer. In a town of 4,000 drivers, two routes each take 65 minutes. Add… Food Science4 min read Why salt makes ice cream freeze: ice melting below 0 °C pulls out the heat Ice is already at 0 °C, so how can a handful of rock salt make it colder? Because salt makes ice want to melt below 0… Physics4 min read Why light bends in water: the lifeguard's shortest-time path (Fermat's principle) A lifeguard runs faster than she swims, so the quickest route to a swimmer is not a straight line. It bends at the… Mind4 min read Why a falling ruler slips through your fingers: gravity as a reaction-time stopwatch Drop a ruler without warning and you will not catch it at the top. The place where your fingers close is a stopwatch…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 10 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 8 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 9 breaks 04 EconomicsPrices, incentives and why markets do what they do. 9 breaks 05 EngineeringHow things are built, and why they don't fall down. 9 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 10 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 10 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 9 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 8 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 9 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 9 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 10 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.