Basic Concepts in Science: A List
January 25, 2008 1:27 PM   Subscribe

Basic Concepts in Science: A List A regularly updated list of blog entries explaining the basics of science and mathematics.
posted by LeeJay (16 comments total) 80 users marked this as a favorite
 
fantastic link. now if only someone did this for art and the humanities(?)
posted by farishta at 1:35 PM on January 25, 2008


So much awesomeness, so little time.
posted by grouse at 1:49 PM on January 25, 2008


Everything I need to know I learned by reading blogs.
posted by XMLicious at 2:52 PM on January 25, 2008


Looks rad. I will bookmark and edumacate myself. Thank ya.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 2:54 PM on January 25, 2008


I'm doing science and I'm Still Alive!

This is good!
posted by Standeck at 2:58 PM on January 25, 2008


Bookmarked! Thanks for the post.
posted by LooseFilter at 4:22 PM on January 25, 2008


I am reading SCIENCE!
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:33 PM on January 25, 2008


I knew if I just waited long enough, someone would compile such a page of things I kind of knew. and waiting a bit longer, you, LeeJay, linked it. thanks!
posted by Busithoth at 5:00 PM on January 25, 2008


So, I didn't really get the Bayesian explanation, yet somehow I was basically right on my estimate of the chance of a woman to get cancer. Coincidences are awesome.
posted by oddman at 5:15 PM on January 25, 2008


Excellent, Mr. Leejay: A+

Btw, although we are seeking truth, it should be known that we have enemies. To wit, a Mr. Ben Stein is at war with BIG SCIENCE.
posted by psmealey at 5:18 PM on January 25, 2008


Browsing through that link collection, it's quite obvious that while there are some real gems, there are also other posts which do not fit into the idea of "basic concepts" at the 30,000 ft educated lay person level.

It would be nice to see a stringently curated small set of links which really highlight the biggest ideas in each discipline.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 5:30 PM on January 25, 2008


Browsing through that link collection, it's quite obvious that while there are some real gems, there are also other posts which do not fit into the idea of "basic concepts" at the 30,000 ft educated lay person level.

Yeah, NucleophilicAttack, I was tempted to mention in the post that some of these are a little less "basic" than others. It's compiled by sciencebloggers who are used to writing for more for each other and less for the layman so it gets a bit technical and dense in some places. But I hope everyone can find something that pleases them and leave the rest.

(Lord knows I only get about half of what I've read so far but I keep it in my bookmarks and read through it all the time hoping that maybe the parts that confound me will sink in by osmosis.)
posted by LeeJay at 5:36 PM on January 25, 2008


This is awesome.
posted by Tehanu at 5:40 PM on January 25, 2008


cool - thanks
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:15 PM on January 25, 2008


@NucleophilicAttack:

there's no reason to suppose that the basic concepts are going to be easily understandable. The world is a twisted place. The level of abstraction necessary to think about things at their roots may make it hard for our brains to process, given that they themselves are evolved to operate at more intermediate courser scales...
posted by pucklermuskau at 8:18 PM on January 25, 2008


Thanks for this! You'll be seeing some of the links in the physical sciences portion of the list appearing on my website in the days and weeks ahead. I appreciate your making this information available to a wider audience (whether or not we all understand its significance).
posted by Spidermaster at 11:12 AM on January 29, 2008


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