A “jiffy” is more precise in its definition than you may have thought. The earliest technical usage was defined by Gilbert Newton Lewis (1875–1946). He defined the “jiffy” as the time it […]
I’ll Be There in a Jiffy. Start Your Stopwatch
First Make People Laugh; Then Make Them Think
The “Ig Nobel Prizes” are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think”. They are presented by […]
The Value of Genius
One of the most famous pictures of Albert Einstein resulted when he stuck his tongue out for photographers at the celebration of his 72nd birthday. Einstein signed a few copies, and if […]
Singular Facts About Singularities
Black holes — also known as “singularities” — can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny […]
Flavorful Physics
Quarks are elementary particles that combine to form atomic particles. They were theorized by Murray Gell-Mann and George Zweig in 1964. Originally they were pronounced “kwork” by Gell-Mann. He settled on the […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 