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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Computing4 min read How to find one name among a billion in 30 looks: binary search Pick a number from 1 to 1,000,000 and you can find it in at most 20 yes-or-no questions. The trick is binary search… Mind4 min read Why you forget most of it in days: Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve In the 1880s Hermann Ebbinghaus learned lists of nonsense syllables, tested himself after delays from 20 minutes to 31… Engineering4 min read Why steel beams are shaped like an I: the same steel, 25 times stiffer Put a beam across a gap and it sags: the top edge is squeezed, the bottom stretched, and the steel in the middle does… Economics4 min read Why mild preferences can build a segregated town: Schelling's chequerboard Nobody in this town wants it split into blue and orange districts. Each household only asks that a few of its… Food Science4 min read Why a wet steak won't brown: boiling water caps the surface at 100 °C Put a wet steak in a hot pan and it goes grey and steams. Pat it dry and it forms a dark, savoury crust. The pan is… Physics4 min read Why a boat's wake is always a 39° V: Kelvin's wedge Behind every boat spreads a V of ripples, and it is always about 39° wide, whether the boat crawls or speeds. Lord…

Categories

01 BiologyCells, bodies, evolution and everything that grows. 9 breaks 02 ComputingThe ideas inside the machines we use all day. 8 breaks 03 Earth & SpacePlanets, weather, oceans and the sky above them. 8 breaks 04 EconomicsPrices, incentives and why markets do what they do. 7 breaks 05 EngineeringHow things are built, and why they don't fall down. 7 breaks 06 Food ScienceThe chemistry happening in your kitchen. 8 breaks 07 HistoryThe decisions, accidents and people that shaped now. 9 breaks 08 LanguageWords, grammar and how people make meaning. 8 breaks 09 MathsPatterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things. 7 breaks 10 MindPsychology, perception and the quirks of the brain. 7 breaks 11 Music & SoundVibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right. 8 breaks 12 PhysicsForces, light, time and the odd behaviour of the very small. 8 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.