## If there are obvious things, why should we prove them?

Obviously, there are obvious things in mathematics. Why we should prove them? Prove that $\lim\limits_{n\to\infty}\dfrac{1}{n}=0$? Prove that $f(x)=x$ is continuous on $\mathbb{R}$? $\dotsc$ Just …

asked 10 hours ago

## How to define a point between two points?

I have the points A(0,0) and B(3, 4), I want a point that is 4/6 of the length of AB and lies on the the same line

asked 6 hours ago

## Plausible explanation for large number of armed adventurers in fantasy RPG setting?

I'm working on a Dungeons & Dragons setting and want a comprehensive and logical explanation why, in a feudal society similar to Western Europe in the Middle Ages, there might be bands of armed …

## Why are sine/cosine always used to describe oscillations?

What I am really asking is are there other functions that, like $\sin()$ and $\cos()$ are bounded from above and below, and periodic? If there are, why are they never used to describe oscillations in …

asked 3 hours ago

## Did Arwen actually die?

Appendix A of Lord of the Rings says of Arwen's fate: There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her …

asked 8 hours ago

## Simplify the expression $(2n)!/(2n+2)!$

I'm a little confused as to how $(2n)!/(2n+2)!$ looks when written out. Basically I'm trying to visualise it so that I know how to cancel this and like terms in future.

asked 5 hours ago

## Why did Microsoft choose the word “Recycle Bin”?

If you delete something in Windows OS, it will go to Recycle bin. But if you think about it nothing recycles in it right? Say, you delete a virus infected file and again restore it from recycle bin …

asked 17 hours ago

## The antonym of political-savvy

People sometimes use "political-savvy" to describe someone who is aware of what to do or what not to do in an organization or company. I wonder which word would be the opposite of that? i.e. someone …

asked 7 hours ago

## How to make this hand-colored drawing even more fancier?

I wanted my son to color some brain template. I will put this into front of my thesis (on visualization of diffusion MRI tractrography data of the human brain), as book cover. How can I put this in …

asked 11 hours ago

## What is the best way to simplify/optimize a piece of code that looks at combinations of conditions?

I have a piece of code that I want to optimize for readability and performance and coolness. Right now I have this ugly looking thing: if (cond1 && cond2 && cond3 && !cond4) { …

asked 5 hours ago

## Minimal polynomial: is $\sqrt[3]{2+\sqrt{5}}+\sqrt[3]{2-\sqrt{5}}=1$?

I was wondering about the minimal polynomial of real number $$u=\sqrt[3]{2+\sqrt{5}}+\sqrt[3]{2-\sqrt{5}}$$ over field $\mathbb{Q}$. As you can see here, I worked out that $u$ is a root of monic ...

## How can I deal with the challenges a player having Mind-Reading represents without negating their ability?

As I prepare for a campaign to run, I realize that several of the things I want to do in this campaign may be shortcut by mind reading and telepathy. Unfortunately, many of the solutions to defending …

## What is this large room with an assortment of monsters, a swarm of bees, and some items?

So, I fell down a trapdoor and then: (click image to enlarge) ...yeah, I've kind of just been staring at my screen and ;-identifying things for a few minutes. Some notable things I've found: a …

asked 4 hours ago

## Interesting calculus problem advice

Can someone suggest a really hard calculus problem that can be solved with the knowledge of a high school student ? I would really like to work my brains on something interesting . Thanks a lot !

asked 8 hours ago

## Is there one word for both horizontal or vertical, but not diagonal, adjacency?

I'm trying to describe a grid and I want to say that the adjacent grid square is chosen if it's horizontally or vertically adjacent, but not diagonally adjacent, to the current grid square. I was ...

asked 12 hours ago

## What was the Question that led Euler to his Investigations on Polyhedra?

The question that led Euler to his investigations on graphs is the well-known question related to the seven bridges of Königsberg, and that story is a must in every introduction to graph theory. …

asked 10 hours ago

## What needs to happen for email encryption to go mainstream?

PGP has been around for almost 20 years, but email encryption is not used by most 'regular people'. At the moment, with Snowden's NSA revelations (which should not be a huge surprise to anyone), the …

asked 15 hours ago

## When does undefined behavior strike in C++?

Consider the following statement: *((char*)NULL) = 0; //undefined behavior It clearly invokes undefined behavior. Does the existence of such a statement in a given program mean that the whole ...

asked 15 hours ago

## Why does a nuclear explosion have directionality?

It just occurred to me that almost all images I've seen of the (in)famous mushroom cloud show a vertical column rising perpendicular to the ground and a horizontal planar ring parallel to the ground. …

asked 10 hours ago

## What does “OC” mean?

My Bluegiga WT-32 manual ("Stereo CODEC ADC characteristics" table) says: Allowed Load --> Resistive, min.:16(8)Ω , max.: OC What does OC mean in this case?

asked 5 hours ago

## Are the effects of the awaken spell permanent?

Could you have a druid being followed by any number of awakened creatures permanently (assuming their relationship is a good one, and the creatures want to follow the druid)?

asked 8 hours ago

## Is there a single word for date of death?

Since we have a single word like birthday, is there a corresponding term for the date of someone’s death?

asked 11 hours ago

## Can I use vodka to clean my keyboard?

I spilled beer on my keyboard a while back, and some of the keys are sticky. It's driving me crazy, and I don't have any isopropyl. Can I use vodka to clean it?

asked 2 days ago

## How can I prove that I didn't plagiarize?

This year I have decided to take a Computer Science course on FLVS, an online learning institution. Throughout the whole year, I worked well, and I had a lot of fun with the course. I was close to …

## Tic Tac Toe in C++

Here is my two-player Tic Tac Toe game. How can I improve it? #include <iostream> #include <vector> //Simple Display void Display(std::vector<char> const &grid){ //Creating …

asked 5 hours ago

## How can I find available network interfaces?

This is in regard to linux, but if anyone knows of a general *nix method that would be good. I booted a system yesterday with an ethernet cable plugged in. "NetworkManager" is not installed, so once …

asked 12 hours ago

## Import multiple files from folder in order of date added

I have a folder that contains certain files I want to import. In my case those are .png files. As all the files I want to import contain the phrase "accum" in their filenames, I can use ...

asked 8 hours ago

## Maze Generation

I know there is an (old) thread similar to this (here), but I'd like to reboot it with some modifications. The goal: generate a random-looking maze using an algorithm of your choice, then output the …