lcamtuf’s thing

How many dimensions is this?

A degree in mathematics might not save you from stacking boxes for a living.

Sep 3

16

1

July 2025

Multitudes

A warm, late-summer night in Bruges.

Jul 14

17

1

June 2025

Gödel's beavers, or the limits of knowledge

Can you examine infinitely many integers in finite time? Are there numbers you're not allowed to know? Can a monkey beat a beaver in a fair fight?

Jun 30

41

13

Self-referential abstractions

A quick look at the wacky epistemology of analog circuitry.

Jun 6

23

8

The proof that π = 4

Recreational math: why a troll proof involving circles is less wrong than it seems.

Jun 5

21

5

0.9999... ≊ 1

What is infinity, and why it's not trivial to show that 0.9999... is equal to 1.

Jun 1

45

16

May 2025

Decibels are ridiculous

Celebrating a rare dumpster fire in the kingdom of science.

May 22

91

34

Complex numbers #2: a world in 3D

Why is there no equivalent of complex numbers for three dimensions? And what's the deal with quaternions?

May 19

16

10

A 20-minute intro to complex numbers

You might have heard of complex numbers before -- but what's the actual significance of i = √-1?

May 16

37

7

The Mathematics of Love

Interior of an upscale restaurant, night.

May 13

12

1

Sierpiński triangle? In my bitwise AND?

Exploring a peculiar bit-twiddling hack at the intersection of 1980s geek sensibilities.

May 10

50

5

April 2025

The Long Winter

Interior of a vast cavern.

Apr 28

27

3