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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Economics4 min read Why rival ice-cream carts end up side by side: Hotelling's beach Put two ice-cream carts on a long beach and each one is tempted to creep toward the other, because standing next to a… Food Science3 min read Why popcorn pops: a pea-sized pressure cooker that gives way at 180 °C A popcorn kernel is a pressure cooker the size of a pea. Its tough hull seals in about 14% water, so as the pan heats… Physics2 min read Why a dried coffee drop leaves a ring: the edge is stuck and the rim dries first Spill coffee, let it dry, and you get a dark ring with a pale middle, not an even stain. The pigment started out spread… Biology3 min read Why fishing less gave the Adriatic more sharks: foxes, rabbits and a loop When fishing slowed during the First World War, the Adriatic catch held a bigger share of sharks and rays, not a… History3 min read Why washing hands saved mothers in 1847: Semmelweis and the two wards In 1846, mothers in one Vienna maternity ward died at four times the rate of mothers in the ward next door. The… Maths3 min read Why 1 leads far more often than 9: Benford's law of first digits Look only at the first digit of any long list of real-world numbers, such as river areas, populations or the figures in…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 7 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 5 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 6 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. 4 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 6 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 7 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 6 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 5 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 4 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 6 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 6 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.