“In terms of merit, sports have mathematical statistics. That is how you know who the best player is”. (Norm MacDonald) Until thirty/forty years ago people would most likely not believe in this statement, but the situation has changed since the end of the 90s when...
The Fascinating Connection between Math and Philosophy: Unraveling Abstract Reasoning
Introduction Mathematics and philosophy may seem like separate subjects, but they have a special relationship that has shaped our thinking for centuries. Math, with its logic and precision, intersects with philosophy, which explores fundamental questions about...
Region-Beta Paradox: Why sometimes we are better off when we are worse off.
Introduction In life, we often find ourselves caught in a peculiar paradox. We settle for situations that are less than ideal, believing that they could be worse or that they aren't so bad after all. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in circumstances that are not...
What is the best strategy when playing Monopoly?
We have all played Monopoly at least once in our lifetime, the table game that turns best friends into evil competitors and even the most generous person into merciless. Who has never fought to buy a street while playing? How many times have you been accused of...
How Differential Equations Save the World
It is widely known that the course Difference- and Differential Equations is one of the most hated courses among students from the Bachelor EOR. This is probably due to the fact that only a small fraction of the students is able to pass the course. However, this...
Choosing prompts wisely: How to use ChatGPT optimally.
The AI industry is evolving rapidly, with major players such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Notion and Google constantly striving to maintain their competitive edge by launching products like Brad, Copilot and Notion AI. Among these, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been a pivotal product...
The Mandelbrot set: a hypnotising phenomenon
Although you may never have heard of it, you’ve most likely seen it before. It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful sets in mathematics you will encounter. The set I’m referring to is called the Mandelbrot set. The iterative function (I will later elaborate on...
Pyramid Schemes
In the Netherlands, a famous slogan on TV is ‘Let op: geld lenen kost geld’ (watch out: borrowing money costs money). No money can be earned for free. With a pyramid scheme, however, people seem to defy these laws of finance and make money out of nothing. How does...
Why bad movies are released at the beginning of the year
Looking to catch a movie this month? Chances are that the movie might disappoint you. In fact, apparently most movies which are considered bad tend to be released in January and February. To find out when bad movies come out, it is important to look when movies that...
Reaching the Unreachable
Have you ever felt like giving up? Wanting to quit something because it seems impossible to reach your goal (for example passing Difference- and Differential Equations)? Of course you have, but don’t give up too fast! Sometimes, it is possible to succeed in what...
Van Gogh – not just a painter
Van Gogh is undoubtedly one of the most famous painters of all time, but perhaps it’s time to consider him a mathematician. Starry Night is one of Van Gogh’s most renowned paintings, depicting just that: a starry night. With a bright moon on the right, and Venus in...
The Ewing Theory
What happens if your team’s best player goes down with an injury, leaves for another team or retires? Your team should be less successful, right? Well, as it turns out, this is not necessarily always true. Sometimes, a team can inexplicably flourish without their...
Why your Dobble cards always match
Dobble: a game played by kids, but still very popular among adults. In the game, you have to draw two random cards and place them face-up on the table between all the players. Then, you have to look for the identical symbol between the two cards. Between every two...
Why do we count in base 10?
What is two plus two? The realist will say four, the computer will say 100, and the cynic will say 5 – but which is correct? The reason we count in base 10 stems from the simplest fact: humans have 10 fingers. Understandable and logical, as this seems to be nature’s...
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