TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Is There a "B" in Doubt?
Say the word "doubt" aloud. What is that "b" doing there? Does it have any purpose? Gina Cooke explains the long and winding history of "doubt" and why the spelling, though it seems random, is a wink to its storied past. [3:28]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Are You the Girl From "The Wonder Years"?
After a childhood spent acting a pretty iconic role, Danica McKellar learned that she was capable of being more than just Winnie Cooper. [3:30]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Elliptical Pool Table: A Mathematician's Dream
Learn what an elliptical pool table can teach us about mathematics. [3:40]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Three Gods Riddle?
You and your team have crash-landed on an ancient planet. Can you appease the three alien overlords who rule it and get your team safely home? Created by logician Raymond Smullyan, and popularized by his colleague George Boolos, this...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: A Brief History of Numerical Systems
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0. With just these ten symbols, we can write any rational number imaginable. But why these particular symbols? Why ten of them? And why do we arrange them the way we do? Alessandra King gives a brief history...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Counterfeit Coin Riddle?
You're the realm's greatest mathematician, but ever since you criticized the Emperor's tax laws, you've been locked in the dungeon. Luckily for you, one of the Emperor's governors has been convicted of paying his taxes with a counterfeit...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How High Can You Count on Your Fingers? Spoiler:much Higher Than 10
How high can you count on your fingers? It seems like a question with an obvious answer. After all, most of us have ten fingers- or to be more precise, eight fingers and two thumbs. This gives us a total of ten digits on our two hands,...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Airplane Riddle?
Professor Fukano, the famous scientist, has embarked on a new challenge - piloting around the world in a plane of his own design. There's just one problem: there's not enough fuel to complete the journey. Luckily, there are two other...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Winning at Rock Paper Scissors
Hannah Fry from Numberphile shares a few strategies to help you win your next game of Rock Paper Scissors. [5:48]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the River Crossing Riddle?
As a wildfire rages through the grasslands, three lions and three wildebeest flee for their lives. To escape the inferno, they must cross over to the left bank of a crocodile-infested river. Can you help them figure out how to get across...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Prisoner Boxes Riddle?
Your favorite band is great at playing music but not so great at being organized. They keep misplacing their instrucments on tour.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What Is a Vector?
Physicists, air traffic controllers, and video game creators all have at least one thing in common: vectors. But what exactly are they, and why do they matter? David Huynh explains how vectors are a prime example of the elegance, beauty,...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How the Konigsberg Bridge Problem Changed Mathematics
You'd have a hard time finding the medieval city Konigsberg on any modern maps, but one particular quirk in its geography has made it one of the most famous cities in mathematics. Dan Van der Vieren explains how grappling with...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How to Visualize One Part Per Million
Parts per million is a scientific unit of measurement that counts the number of units of one substance per one million units of another. But because it's hard to conceptualize really large numbers, it can be difficult to wrap our brains...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why the Metric System Matters
For the majority of recorded human history, units like the weight of a grain or the length of a hand weren't exact and varied from place to place. Now, consistent measurements are such an integral part of our daily lives that it's hard...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Passcode Riddle?
In a dystopian world, your resistance group is humanity's last hope. Unfortunately, you've all been captured by the tyrannical rulers and brought to the ancient coliseum for their deadly entertainment. Will you be able to solve the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: What if Everyone Jumped at the Same Time?
If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, what kind of physical action would it take for the earth to notice us? Check out Vsauce's video on what would happen if everyone on Earth got together and jumped. [7:13]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Control Room Riddle?
As your country's top spy, you must infiltrate the headquarters of the evil syndicate, find the secret control panel, and deactivate their death ray. But your reconnaissance team is spotty, and you have only limited information about the...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Origin of Countless Conspiracy Theories
Why can we find geometric shapes in the night sky? How can we know that at least two people in London have exactly the same number of hairs on their head? And why can patterns be found in just about any text - even Vanilla Ice lyrics?...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Psychology Behind Irrational Decisions
Often people make decisions that are not "rational" from a purely economical point of view. Sara Garofalo explains heuristics, problem-solving approaches based on previous experience and intuition rather than analysis. [4:39]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Einstein's Theory of General Relativity
How are spacetime, dark matter and gravity related? In celebration of the centennial of Einstein's theory of general relativity, this video breaks it down. [3:04]
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Should You Trust Unanimous Decisions?
Imagine a police lineup where ten witnesses are asked to identify a bank robber they glimpsed fleeing the scene. If six of them pick the same person, there's a good chance that's the culprit. And if all ten do, you might think the case...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Locker Riddle?
Your rich, eccentric uncle just passed away, and you and your 99 nasty relatives have been invited to the reading of his will. He wanted to leave all of his money to you, but he knew that if he did, your relatives would pester you...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Can You Solve the Frog Riddle?
You're stranded in a rainforest, and you've eaten a poisonous mushroom. To save your life, you need an antidote excreted by a certain species of frog. Unfortunately, only the female frog produces the antidote. The male and female look...