## 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 …

## Why was the triceratops ill?

In the film Jurassic Park, a triceratops is sick with something. Dr. Sattler investigates possible causes. She initially thinks it's due to a poisonous plant, but after checking the dinosaur's ...

## 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 …

## Nothing appears in simple plot

I'm trying to get the following simple code to work. (The code is just supposed to graph the norm of the second derivative of a vector function). z[t_] = {1, t^2, t^3} Plot[D[D[Norm[z[t]], t], t], …

## 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

## 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 …

## Let $p(x) = 1+a_1x+a_2x^2+\cdots+a_nx^n$ be a polynomial where $a_1,\ldots,a_n$ are integers, and $a_1 + … + a_n$ is even.

Let $p(x) = 1+a_1x+a_2x^2+\cdots+a_nx^n$ be a polynomial where $a_1,\ldots,a_n$ are integers, and $a_1 + \cdots + a_n$ is even. Prove that there is no integer x such that $p(x) =0$ I have started ...

## 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 …

## 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 …

## 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 ...

## 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 ...

## 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 …

## Am I morally obligated to pursue a career in medicine?

I am a high school student who has no formal training in philosophy, so I apologize if this question seems naïve. However, it is one that I am currently facing in a life decision, and I would like a …

## 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 …

## How to explain Heartbleed without technical terms?

Most of my friends who are not experienced in computers want to know what Heartbleed is and how it works. How would one explain Heartbleed to someone without a technical background?