Big-O Notation
A mathematical notation describing an algorithm's limiting behavior as input size grows. O(1) is constant; O(n²) is quadratic.
DNA & Genetic Code
Deoxyribonucleic acid encodes genetic instructions using four bases — adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine — read in codons of three.
Quantum Superposition
A quantum system can exist in multiple states simultaneously until measured. Schrödinger's cat is the famous thought experiment.
Prime Numbers
Integers greater than 1 divisible only by 1 and themselves. Euclid proved there are infinitely many primes ~300 BCE.
How TCP/IP Works
Data is split into packets, routed independently across the network, then reassembled at the destination via the TCP handshake.
Natural Selection
Individuals with heritable traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more, driving evolutionary change.
Neural Networks
Layers of interconnected nodes (neurons) learn by adjusting weights via backpropagation to minimise a loss function.
Atomic Structure
Atoms contain a nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons in probabilistic orbitals, not fixed paths.
Public-Key Cryptography
Uses a key pair: a public key to encrypt and a private key to decrypt. RSA and ECC are two widely-used algorithms.
Cognitive Biases
Systematic patterns of deviation from rational judgment, such as confirmation bias, where we favour info that confirms our beliefs.
Black Holes
Regions of spacetime with gravity so strong nothing — not even light — can escape past the event horizon. Described by General Relativity.
Supply & Demand
When supply rises or demand falls, prices drop. When demand rises or supply falls, prices rise. Markets find an equilibrium price.
Question 1 of 5 · Score: 0
// Binary search — O(log n) time complexity function binarySearch(arr, target) { let lo = 0, hi = arr.length - 1; while (lo <= hi) { const mid = (lo + hi) >> 1; // fast floor divide by 2 if (arr[mid] === target) return mid; else if (arr[mid] < target) lo = mid + 1; else hi = mid - 1; } return -1; // not found } // Example const sorted = [2, 5, 9, 14, 23, 31, 42]; console.log(binarySearch(sorted, 23)); // → 4
Euclid's Algorithm
One of the oldest algorithms, computing the greatest common divisor of two integers — still used in modern cryptography.
Ada Lovelace writes the first algorithm
Lovelace published what is considered the first computer program — an algorithm for computing Bernoulli numbers on Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Turing Machine
Alan Turing's theoretical model of computation defined the limits of what is algorithmically computable, founding computer science.
ARPANET goes live
The precursor to the internet connected four US universities, sending the first message ("lo" — the system crashed after two letters).
World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee published the first website at CERN, making hypertext documents publicly accessible via URLs and HTTP.
Transformer Architecture
"Attention Is All You Need" introduced the transformer, enabling models like GPT and BERT that power modern AI.