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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Computing3 min read Why sorting gets slow so fast: bubble sort versus merge sort and n log n Two sorting methods can both be perfectly correct and still differ by a factor of 25,000 on a big list. Race bubble… Mind4 min read Why the same circle looks smaller among big ones: the Ebbinghaus illusion and size contrast Two identical orange circles, one ringed by big circles and one by small ones, and your eyes insist they differ. That… Engineering4 min read Why a ship rolls back upright, until the cargo goes too high: the metacentre and the righting arm A loaded ship that leans over usually rolls back upright, because the water's upward push shifts sideways and twists… Economics4 min read Why fair coin flips end with one person owning almost everything: the yard-sale model of wealth Give 60 people 100 coins each and let them trade by fair coin flips, with the stake a fixed share of the poorer… Food Science5 min read Why a microwave leaves cold spots: a standing wave 12.2 cm long, and a chocolate bar that measures the speed of light Microwave ovens fill a metal box with radio waves 12.2 cm long. The waves bounce off the walls and add up into a… Physics4 min read Why a skater spins faster when she pulls her arms in: angular momentum and r squared A skater starts a slow spin with her arms wide, pulls them in, and blurs into a fast spin with no push from anything…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 14 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 13 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 13 breaks 04 EconomicsPrices, incentives and why markets do what they do. 13 breaks 05 EngineeringHow things are built, and why they don't fall down. 13 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 14 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 14 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 13 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 12 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 13 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 13 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 14 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.