Where Did the Universe Come From? and Other Cosmic Questions is a book I wrote with my academic colleague and friend Geraint Lewis. Geraint is a gifted scientific communicator and, if you aren’t already from Wales, you’ll love his Welsh accent. Geraint is also an astrophysicist, whereas I am a quantum physicist. In the worldContinue reading “Where did the universe come from? And other cosmic questions!”
Tag Archives: scicomm
How simulating social networks revealed why I have no friends, and also no free time
The friendship paradox is an observed social phenomenon that most people have fewer friends than their friends have, on average. Sometimes it is stated more strongly that most people have fewer friends than *most* of their friends. It’s not clear from the popular articles about the topic whether the latter statement is generally true. Let’sContinue reading “How simulating social networks revealed why I have no friends, and also no free time”
The minimal effort explanation of quantum computing
Quantum computing is really complicated, right? Far more complicated than conventional computing, surely. But, wait. Do I even understand how my laptop works? Probably not. I don’t even understand how a doorknob works. I mean, I can use a doorknob. But don’t ask me to design one, or even draw a picture of the innerContinue reading “The minimal effort explanation of quantum computing”
David Wolfe doesn’t want you to share these answers debunking quantum avocados
Everyone knows you need to microwave your avocados to release their quantum memory effects.
Why are there so many symbols in math?
“Mathematics is the language of the universe.” — every science popularizer ever
Quantum Physics for Babies
This talk was given at the University of Sydney School of Physics Colloquium 19 June 2017.
What does it mean to excel at math?
“In mathematics you don’t understand things. You just get used to them.” ― John von Neumann
The power of simulation: birthday paradox
The birthday paradox goes… in a room of 23 people there is a 50-50 chance that two of them share a birthday. OK, so the first step in introducing a paradox is to explain why it is a paradox in the first place. One might think that for each person, there is 1/365 chance ofContinue reading “The power of simulation: birthday paradox”
