The Lab

Things that run

Each one computes its own answer while you watch. None of the numbers on these pages were written by hand — where an experiment has not been given enough data, it says so instead of printing a figure.

• 01ReservoirCan you take a fair sample from a stream when you do not know how long the stream is, and are only allowed to remember k items?measured
• 02RelaxationDoes scattered randomness become structure if you only ever let it move to its own average?measured
• 03QuantisationHow much of a continuous surface survives being cut into a finite number of levels?measured
• 04GrowthWhat shape does a line make when its only rules are to grow, to stay smooth, and to never touch itself?observed
• 05Half-LifeHow fast does your own attention fall off inside this world?measured