Six-minute summary: Inge Lehmann

Hello readers! Today’s six-minute summary is about Inge Lehmann, the Danish scientist who discovered that our planet has a solid inner core. I thought this summary would be somewhat topical following the recent media coverage of ‘giant blobs’ in the lower mantle, now proposed to be the remnants of an ancient collision with another planet … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Inge Lehmann →

Clayton Calculates: Ice Magic

Hello readers! Today we’re taking an analytical dive into the feasibility of ‘ice magic’, which I am defining as the ability to conjure solid ice out of thin air. This frosty power is found in traditional fantasy and in superhero genres, from Elsa in Frozen, to Todoroki in My Hero Academia, to Frozone in The … Continue reading Clayton Calculates: Ice Magic →

Six-minute summary: Sophie Germain

Hello readers! Today we’re taking a look at the life of Sophie Germain, a French mathematician. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d never heard of her, and by the end of this summary, I hope you’ll agree that this is a terrible shame. Childhood Sophie Germain was born in Paris in 1776, with the full … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Sophie Germain →

Six-minute summary: Tycho Brahe

Hello readers! It’s time for another six-minute summary. This week, we’re discussing Tycho Brahe, a 16th century Danish astronomer who revolutionised the collection of astronomical data. Wikipedia describes him as “the last major astronomer before the invention of the telescope” – and yet Brahe could have lived just long enough to see this paradigm shift … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Tycho Brahe →

Clayton Calculates: The Death Mountain lava lake

Hello readers! After the success of my lava calculations last month, I have been inspired to devote an entire blog post to pulling apart the physical inaccuracies of fantasy worlds. It turns out that the water hydrants in Tears of the Kingdom are the least of its lava-based problems (if you missed it, see: Is … Continue reading Clayton Calculates: The Death Mountain lava lake →

Muesli musings

Hello readers! Today’s blog post was triggered by a mundane observation that turned out to be interesting. Have you ever noticed that in a box of muesli, the largest pieces (e.g., Brazil nuts) tend to rise to the surface? I was reminded of this phenomenon yesterday, when I noticed that a bag of mixed herbs … Continue reading Muesli musings →

Is lava wet? And other questions

Hello readers! I’ve been playing more Tears of the Kingdom recently, and some of the “lava physics” in that game reminded me of various questions I have been asked over the years about lava in films and video games. This blog has hosted plenty of “cool rocks” since its inception, but we haven’t yet talked … Continue reading Is lava wet? And other questions →