Topics
The Effect of the Dutch Coalition Agreement on Real Estate Investors
On December 15, 2021, party leaders Rutte (VVD), Kaag (D66), Hoekstra (CDA), and Segers (CU) presented the coalition agreement “Looking after each other, looking ahead to the future”. This coalition agreement has also some unpleasant consequences for Dutch real estate investors. But what are those consequences? Can those real estate investors somehow circumvent these upcoming […]
Diophantine equations
Diophantine equations are polynomial equations over the integers. These are useful in many fields of mathematics such as group theory and operations research.
Nice guys finish first
What is the best strategy for the tribes in Candyland? Find out together with Sjors Keet.
Discovering the Frequencies in Financial Markets
Wavelet analysis stems from the 19th century when Joseph Fourier studied the heat equation. From his work, a foundation was set for Fourier transformations (FT). However, FT requires conditions such as stationarity of the data set and it only gives frequency information of a time series instead of the time information simultaneously. Consequently, wavelet analysis […]
Where did all the antimatter go?
To understand the universe around us we have come up with and proven many different laws of physics, with one of the most fundamental being the different conservation laws. From these conservation laws, it follows that whenever matter is created an equal amount of antimatter must be created, but when matter and antimatter meet, they […]
Is math discovered or invented?
Mathematics has been used and researched since ancient times. The point of view on what mathematics is shifts from being an invention, a discovery to an artefact, by the influence of time and people. -Britt Brugts
The winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2021
On the 11th of October the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to David Card, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”. Loosely speaking, these researchers are looking at ways to address several relevant problems in society, such as the effect of education on wages or the […]
Why do we feel as though our friends are more popular than us?
Whilst this may appear as an insult, or a bleak depiction of one’s lonely life in comparison to the popular lives of others, this feeling is actually a mathematical phenomenon that appears regularly in everyday scenarios. This phenomenon is known as the “Friendship Paradox”. - Lydia Nawas
Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands?
There is a dire housing crisis in the Netherlands, and in the major cities, such as Amsterdam and Utrecht, finding a place to live is expensive and difficult. Especially for people who want to buy their first homes, the housing market has become a nightmare over the last ten years. A combination of regulation, the […]
Should we keep or kick the king?
The Dutch Royal Family is in the news every once in a while. Whether it is with their yearly press photo in Lech, or when princess Amalia was told she could still be queen if she marries a woman, or even when a private picture of Alexia was shared. We have had the monarchy for […]
Roko’s Basilisk
What if a super intelligent A.I from the future will torture the people who haven't helped create it? - Patrick Jans
Zeno’s paradox
It’s a calm and sunny day as Achilles is walking through the city when he comes across a tortoise that approaches him. “Hi Achilles, I have a rather interesting question for you.”, says the tortoise. “Would you like to have a sprint race against me? I will get a head start of about 100 metres, […]
Quantum immortality
In quantum mechanics, physicists have come up with all kinds of thought experiments. Quantum suicide and quantum immortalilty are examples of these thought experiments. They are a variation on the most famous problem in quantum mechanics, Schrödinger’s cat. This article will continue on with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. In this article I will […]
Simpson’s Paradox
In 1951 Edward Simpson published a paper discussing the interpretation of contingency tables. He discusses a phenomenon that is still occurring in today’s statistics. It is called after his own name, Simpson’s Paradox. An Example Simpson’s Paradox can be explained with a simple example. Suppose we are developing a vaccine to prevent a deadly virus […]
A road to mathematics
Remember when you were young and you were too excited to sleep because you were going on vacation the next day? Your parents would wake you up very early the next morning because they wanted to drive all the way to the south of France in one day. Then, sometime during the road trip, your […]
The power of subliminal messages
Did you ever go for a quick stop at the grocery store to buy some essential products that you needed to have and then came back home with way more food and drinks than you were planning to do so? Like most of us, you probably have done so. You didn’t need that bottle of […]
The raven paradox
The raven paradox Econometricians face difficult problems. One of the hardest problems one can encounter is a paradox. The raven paradox is such a problem and was first proposed by logician Carl Gustav Hempel. The paradox has its basis in statististics. In this paradox, inductive reasoning forms a contradiction with intuitive reasoning. This article will […]
Travelling every single country in the world
As soon as one receives one’s first passport, dreams of filling it with stamps start drifting into one’s mind. With about 190 nations in the world, there is no dearth of places to visit. But how long would it take to visit every single country? And how much would it cost? Creating a plan For […]
Thorium Reactors
Thorium could be a good alternative energy source. Compared to a uranium reactor, thorium reactors are safer and produce less nuclear waste
How Game Theory can help in environmental treaties
The bank robbery that you planned with your best friend, Llyod Shapley, did not go as successfully as you both expected. Multiple things were working against you after you hid the stolen money and as a result you both ended up in the police station. Both taken to a separate interrogation room, the police officers […]
The lazy person’s guide to a healthy brain
Now that the summer holiday is around the corner it is time to relax and unwind. After all the exams and deadlines of the past weeks, some downtime to enjoy the weather, lay down in the park, or go out with friends is well deserved. However, once the new year has started after weeks of […]
The meme that is never gonna give you up
If you have been on the internet in the past fourteen years, it might have happened to you. A link was sent to you, disguised as a funny video or interesting site. You clicked on the link, and, while hearing the first tunes, you already knew what was going on. It was not the video […]
On predicting the future
Predicting the future is a hard concept to grasp. That is why this article aims to discuss some daily applications of predictions and dives a bit in to the world of forecasting.
Will the Netherlands win the UEFA EURO 2020?
We had to wait seven years for it but after two missed tournaments the Dutch national team are participating in the UEFA European Football Championship this summer. Therefore, we will see the so-called “Oranjegekte” again [1]. Obviously, the Netherlands only participates to win the UEFA EURO 2020 cup, even if it has only happened once […]
What is the price of CO2 and how can YOU change it?
“This is truly amazing news and a gigantic win for the earth, our children and all of us. The judge has spoken clearly: Shell causes severe climate change and will have to end that rapidly.’’ These were the words of Donald Pols, director of Milieudefensie in the Netherlands, after a lawsuit in which Shell was […]
Music is the perfect workout for your brain
If you want to train your body you should go to the gym. Do you want to exercise your brain? Then you should listen to music. Music impacts multiple parts of the brain. Did you know that music acts on the brain similar to cocaine? Listening to music increases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, which […]
Home advantage in football: does it exist?
[latexpage] Football is the most popular sport of the world. It is to some extent even part of our culture. Especially during the world championships, the whole country is in the grip of this sport. Everyone basically wants the same thing: their team to win. A very important factor here is the so-called “home advantage”: […]
The ever expanding universe
For thousands of years, astronomers wrestled with basic questions about the size and age of the universe. The ancient Greeks recognized that it was difficult to imagine what an infinite universe might look like. But they also wondered that if the universe were finite, and you stuck out your hand at the edge, where would […]
The World of Sports Betting
It’s Saturday evening and you’re watching a football game with a couple of friends. Unfortunately, the game is between mediocre teams, so you don’t expect to see a great match. However, one of your friends has an idea to spice it all a bit up and to make the game more entertaining. You decide to […]
Giro d’Italia: the fight for pink and against Covid
It is 16:00h. The tension is building. They are coming. In the distance, you hear the sound of helicopter blades swelling. You look around. Every flag imaginable is present, people have dressed up and they are ready to party. You check the live stream, they started the climb. A helicopter has come into view, getting […]