Back in engineering school, I had a professor who used to glory in the misleading assignment. He would ask questions containing elements of dubious relevance to the topic at hand in the hopes that it ...

Conventional wisdom suggests memories of past experiences can help us navigate problems in the present. For example, if a friend told you they were having a disagreement with their partner, you might ...

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A new proof reveals the answer to the decades-old “moving sofa” problem. It highlights how even the simplest optimization problems can have counterintuitive answers. If you’ve ever moved into a new ...