It’s that time of year again, when the internet and inboxes overflow with predictions. Will buckwheat be the new quinoa? What will replace the Grimace Shake? And what the heck will happen with Taylor and Travis?
But we’re not alone in the prediction game. From songs to TV shows to takeout noodles, algorithms have become pros at predicting our next moves. One recently even managed to predict a person’s time of death.
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But by their very nature, predictions aren’t a sure thing. Despite what our digital and human soothsayers say (looking at you, Nostradamus)—there’s just no telling what’s hiding just around the corner.
The smartest way to face so much uncertainty? Learn to be prepared for anything. (And learn to play the odds using probability.) Luckily, you can do both right now on Brilliant.
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Want to make your own predictions? |
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🔷 Versa-tile. Take a visual tour of how people are putting the new einstein tile to use. |
🚀 Space race. This mesmerizing simulation shows how we might be able to catch up with the mysterious interstellar object Oumuamua. |
🍷 Grapes of math. Sorry sommeliers, this AI can now tell where different wines originated based on their chemistry. |
😂 LOLs in translation. This serious article lets you explore the world of online laughter. |
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Now you can automatically save your streak if you miss a day. Earn a charge by completing a lesson—store up to two at a time.
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You run a holiday light factory. Each light strand is made up of randomly chosen colored bulbs—red, blue, yellow, green, orange, or purple. You guarantee that no three bulbs in a row will be the same color. You even have a team of inspectors who checks each strand, one bulb at a time, marking the third bulb in any same-color series (example below). |
How many bulbs, on average, will they inspect before marking their first bulb? |
We’ll randomly choose one correct respondent for a shout-out in next month’s email. |
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Solution to December's puzzle |
Congrats to Orest Kuzemko, who dropped the correct answer on us!
Last month, we asked you to predict the day that the most leaves would fall from a tree. On the first day of autumn, each leaf had a 1% probability to fall, on the second day 2%, and so on. Finding the answer was a tricky balance between the rising chance to fall, and the dwindling amount of remaining leaves. As many of you worked out, day 10 saw the greatest single day leaf fall, when ~6.3% of the trees leaves were dispensed with.
Check out the full solution. |
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“Chance favors only the prepared mind.” |
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