Gravitational Waves
In search of a previously unobserved part of Einstein鈥檚 theory.
One of our 2015 鈥楴umbers of the Year鈥� predictions might have come to pass. There is great excitement over rumours that one of the predictions Einstein made in his theory of General Relativity has finally been observed. But it鈥檚 not the first time it鈥檚 been reported that 鈥榞ravitational waves鈥� have been discovered, and the last time proved to be an equipment test.
What is the total number of possible tweets that could be created from 140 characters? In a recent programme Professor John Allen-Paulos told us that when you take into account all of the symbols available, the total number of possible tweets is Googol^2.8 (which is a 1 followed by 280 zeros.) But has he missed some options?
(Image: A photographer looks at the sky at night to see the annual Geminid meteor shower on the Elva Hill, in Maira Valley, near Cuneo, northern Italy on December 12, 2015. Credit: AFP / Getty Images)
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Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life.
