Uploaded December 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A physics riddle following the "Epitaph of Stevinus".
A string of beads is placed on top of a triangular prism. One side of the string is longer, but the other is steeper, which raises the question: to which side the string will slide to, if at all?
This question was asked and answered by Simon Stevin over 400 years ago, in a thought experiment that proves
the mechanical advantage of inclined planes. I.e., it demonstrates that inclined planes can be employed amplify the force exerted by small weights, allowing them to lift heavier objects.
Read about the history of this riddle here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclined_plane#History
Visit my homepage, udiprod.com/, or read about my latest book zutopedia.com
A physics riddle following the "Epitaph of Stevinus".
A string of beads is placed on top of a triangular prism. One side of the string is longer, but the other is steeper, which raises the question: to which side the string will slide to, if at all?
This question was asked and answered by Simon Stevin over 400 years ago, in a thought experiment that proves
the mechanical advantage of inclined planes. I.e., it demonstrates that inclined planes can be employed amplify the force exerted by small weights, allowing them to lift heavier objects.
Read about the history of this riddle here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclined_plane#History
Visit my homepage, udiprod.com/, or read about my latest book zutopedia.com
![[Laser] Firing squad synchronization problem](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xV1aKUdlljU/mqdefault.jpg "[Laser] Firing squad synchronization problem
The video shows a theoretical problem in computer science and a solution for it. It is presented as a riddle, but note its not easy to solve.
The shown solution is based on the first solution proposed for this problem. It requires ~3n steps, and 17 states.
See list of states and some additional information here: https://www.udiprod.com/firing-squad-synchronization/")
