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.

Browse all Random break

Latest

View all →
Language3 min read Why the same sound is a b to English ears and a p to Spanish ears Say "bat" and "pat". The only physical difference is a tiny delay between your lips opening and your vocal cords… Music & Sound3 min read Why you hear bass from a speaker too small to make it: the missing fundamental Your phone speaker is far too small to produce a deep bass note, yet you still hear the bass. The trick is that pitch… Computing3 min read How a Bloom filter says "definitely not" using just a few bits How can a computer check whether a word is on a huge list using only a few bits per entry? A Bloom filter flips a… Mind3 min read Every eye has a hole in its vision, and your brain paints over it Every one of your eyes has a hole in its vision, about ten Moons wide, and you have never seen it. It is where the… Engineering4 min read Why a 660-tonne steel ball swings to keep Taipei 101 still Skyscrapers sway in the wind, and gusts that match the tower's own rhythm can make it sway more and more. Taipei 101's… Economics3 min read Why people bid more than a dollar for a dollar: Shubik's escalation trap Auction a dollar bill with one twist: the second-highest bidder pays their bid too. It sounds harmless, yet in 1971…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 5 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 4 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 4 breaks 04 EconomicsPrices, incentives and why markets do what they do. 3 breaks 05 EngineeringHow things are built, and why they don't fall down. 3 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 4 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 5 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 5 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 3 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 3 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 5 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 4 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.