The Brachistochrone curve (from Greek brachistos, “shortest,” and chronos, “time”) is the path between two points that allows an object to descend under gravity in the shortest possible time. First posed as a challenge by Johann Bernoulli in 1696, this problem spurred breakthroughs in mathematics and physics. The solution—unexpectedly a cycloid rather than a straight […]
Author: tony R.
Stacks and Heap Basics in Python
Python, like most high-level programming languages, has the concept of stack and heap, although it might not be as explicit or direct as in C++ or Java. While we may not need to typically explicitly manage memory in Python, having this knowledge equips us with the skills to write better code, debug issues effectively, and […]
Optimization Problems with Diminishing Returns
Optimization problems are a cornerstone of decision-making processes across various fields, from economics to engineering. However, they often encounter the phenomenon of diminishing returns, where the incremental benefit of a decision decreases as the level of investment or input increases. This concept can complicate optimization efforts, as it requires finding the right balance between resource […]
Tickling/testing AI emotions
People familiar with Machine Learning and AI in general understand the underlying mechanics of how AI chat works. But to many non-techies, it can seem fantastic, magical, even eerie with their converstational abilities and responses blurring the lines between humans and machines. In this quick and simple converstation log, folks who are mystified with AI, […]
Password strength and cracking
In our digital age, the importance of having strong, secure passwords cannot be overstated. With cyber threats on the rise, ensuring that our online accounts are protected is more crucial than ever. In this blog post, I share the core mechanics of measuring a password strength and share a practical approach to estimate how long […]
The classic “Two Trains” problem with interactive solution
You may have heard of the classic puzzle: Two trains start from two towns, heading towards each other. One train leaves Town A heading towards Town B at some speed while at the same time, the other train leaves Town B heading towards Town A at another speed. If the distance between the two towns […]
Creating a Fishbone Diagram Like a Pro in Excel
In this post I walk you through all the steps needed to create an amazing Fishbone diagram in Excel, without having to manually draw or paint anything. The steps presented here can be used to create any Fishbone diagram suited for your specific situation. What is a Fishbone Diagram? A fishbone diagram is a commonly […]
Creating a data-driven, dynamic cause-and-effect chart
In this post, I share my method of creating a chart to show how events impact another variable such as sales and prices in a data-driven, easy-to-read, and dynamic way. Think of it as a cause-and-effect visualization. Let’s look at an example scenario where this type of chart can be very useful. This is done […]
Getting reading time of an online article and more
If someone sent you a link to page or article, ever wanted to know how long is the article before even opening and reading the article, or if you could get a sense of the server response time or the page load time, number of images and paragraphs in that article? Well, I did and […]
Sorting algorithms explained, compared
In this post, I discuss some common sorting algorithms, their logic, share their implementation (code), and demonstrate each one with executable scripts. Then I compare their performances to identify the most efficient sorting algorithm(s). You’ll get a good overview of each one, learn how to code and use them, and understand their strengths and weaknesses. […]