Author Archives: Charlie

Here is a link to a paper by Rachel C. Vreeman and Aaron E. Carroll that gives the science behind seven common medical myths. You can read the paper, but I have listed the myths here. Just to be clear, none of these are … Continue reading →

“Eppur si muove.” — Galileo Galilei Even though the famous utterance is likely apocryphal, we have, nonetheless, known for hundreds of years that the Earth revolves around the Sun. And while Earth’s orbit does completely encompass the  Sun, technically, the … Continue reading →

You can store vodka in the freezer but you cannot do the same with beer, as it will explode. Why is that? The answer lies in the relative alcohol content of liquor versus beer. Vodka is about 40 percent alcohol … Continue reading →

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him … Both soliloquy  and monologue mean “single speech.” The first is from Greek and the latter from Latin. However, there is a functional difference between the two forms of speech: A soliloquy is delivered when the speaker … Continue reading →

Why can I hear you through a wall but cannot see you through a wall? Why does my radio work indoors, even though the view of the transmitter is blocked? Simply, both light and sound are waves; why does light … Continue reading →

Have you ever wondered what is on the back (technically, the reverse) of a US dollar bill? The a salient feature of the reverse side of the bill is the Great Seal of the United States, which pictures an eagle on … Continue reading →

If you go to the Sears Willis Tower, can you see Michigan? We can use geometry to answer the question. We can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the side of a right triangle: . In this case the … Continue reading →

Externalities are a type of market failure that are loosely defined as an action for which the full cost or benefit of that action is not reflected in the market price. The implication of which is that since the person doing the … Continue reading →

This week I saw not one, but two (gasp!) misuses of the word comprise; therefore comprise is this week’s Pearl of Wisdom. Let us begin with the completely, utterly, and totally incorrect. Do not ever write “is comprised of.” So, … Continue reading →