The Dry Dry Forest of Physics

 The Dry Dry Forest of Physics

This is the second episode of Lex Education, the comedy science podcast

Laura: Hello and welcome to another episode of Lex Education. It's the comedy science podcast, where comedian me, Laura Lex, tries to learn science from her nerdy, younger, non comedian brother, Ron. If you're a first time listener picking up this podcast, thinking, maybe this is my new podcast. It is your new podcast. However, get out of this episode, you silly sausage, and go back to episode one. Start with us from the beginning, binge all the way through, and meet us back here when you are done. You will thank me for that advice. Hello, Ron.

Ron: Hello, I'm Ron.

Laura: How's your life doing this?

Ron: You don't give me, you don't let me say my bit in the intro. You just into it.

Laura: You just say, hi, I'm Ron.

Ron: Yeah. And you don't give me a chance.

Laura: Well, now you've had a chance.

Ron: Yeah, but, you know, there's a rhythm to it to my nerdy, cool, approachably handsome brother Ron. And then I say, hello, I'm Ron. And then you do the next bit.

Ron says he's trying to come off antidepressants to lose weight

Laura: Okay, well, listen, what is the point in us having a 5 hour admin meeting every week where we discuss how we're feeling about the podcast and how it's going if you don't bring stuff like this up, uh, up, uh, at that meeting?

Ron: Because we feel too much, Lauren. There's too much to discuss.

Laura: But we spent four and a half hours playing Boggle in this week's meeting. I feel like you could have sidled that into the chat, but I felt.

Ron: Like I wanted to play Boggle.

Laura: Do you think there's too many feelings in the podcast at this point? Do you think we should scale back the emotional content?

Ron: No, no, we need to be scaling it up because we know what this episode's about and it's dry bones.

Laura: Yeah, it does feel like on the whole. Excuse me, I have to open a window because the back of my neck is really hot. Um, we've never recorded at this time of day in the sun before, I don't think. And I didn't know the sun was going to be right there behind that window. Oh, that's a lovely cool breeze on.

Ron: The back of you.

Laura: There's gonna be increased pigeon noises now. Oh, and all that cash is blowing around the desk.

Ron: It's like crystal maze.

Laura: Why is my life such a mess all the time anyway?

Ron: Too many emotions.

Laura: I do have too many emotions and kind of not enough. Uh, I'm trying to come off my antidepressants at the moment. And so I'm in that weird fog town where you're just like, do I feel anything.

Ron: That. That the. Do I feel anything? Fogtown is kind of how I felt on antidepressants, to be honest.

Laura: Well, I think I did feel it on, and so that's why I've decided to come off. But I want joy back in my life.

Ron: Yeah. I think, like, for me, at least, um. Would not ever speak for everyone's experience. For me, at least, like, they're better for short term because. Yeah, like, the rat tail of it is not. Not great for me.

Laura: Yeah. I'm always hesitant to say anything negative about antidepressants because I feel like I had such a negative view coming into. Um. Took so long for me to admit that I needed them, and then they've saved me three times I've been on them, but I. Obviously, I do prefer being off them. But then that's true of any medicine, mostly. Surely, like, if you have your leg in a cast, you're not like, oh, I shouldn't admit it was nicer to have full movement of my knee.

Ron: Yeah. No, that's fair. No, I love knowing that they're there.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Because they're. They're a great balancer. Um, and, like, I found one that worked for me first time. Um, which was nice. Uh, although, every time I have gone on it, the nausea has gotten progressively worse.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: So I might just go on it just to lose some weight. Just instantly come back off.

Laura: No, Ron, no.

Ron: I can't afford a Zen pick. Sicken myself with sertraline for a few weeks.

Laura: I can get you a discount code for a zempic, if you're interested. Um, what does it do?

Ron: Does it just make you lose weight or does it make you not eat?

Laura: It makes you. Right. So the. The friends of mine that are on it have said, stops you being able to eat through that bit where you know you shouldn't be eating. So, like, normally when you're full, but you can keep ploughing it in, you can't do that anymore, and you don't want to. And a lot of that thought about food in between meals where you're not sure if you're hungry, but

00:05:00

Laura: you're, like, craving. A lot of that goes, I believe.

Ron: Interesting. That's kind of what I've been working on, just as a personal thing in 2025, like I was saying yesterday, not having small meals before meals. Um, and, yeah, not eating till I'm full. Eating till I'm not hungry. I've found for me, that just crap begets crap. So if I eat, like, if I. If I have like some I, I can't moderate. Like if I have a packet of biscuits, if I have one, I will end up craving more. So I find that like if I just don't have any sugary treats, I just stop craving them. Yeah, like that, that sort of thing. And kind of the same with like um, uh, like I, I made a two pronged decision to try and cut out as much ultra processed food as I could. Um, and yeah, like it was A, just because, you know, the forever chemicals and stuff can't be good for you and uh, B, just because most ultra processed food, and this is painting with a very broad brush, most ultra processed food is not really that worth eating.

Laura: Yeah, I suppose I have a different relationship to ultra processed food now that I'm a terrible vegetarian that likes meat substitute stuff. I think actually stopping eating meat has increased my ultra processed sizzle of tea by a million fold.

Ron: Mhm.

Laura: Um, but I justify it to myself by saying I make my own bread. So that's different.

Ron: But that's the big one that they say like for cutting it out is like supermarket bread. And like I don't know if it means like you know, the whole loaves that come out the bakery more just like the warburton sliced or something. Like cutting that stuff out I think is one of the big ones for it.

Laura: Oh well, easy done. I love to make my own bread.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Um, okay, well listen, I also looked.

Ron: At a zempic when I first heard about it, but it was just hundreds of pounds more than I was willing to take a punt on something.

Laura: Yeah, I think it's about 200 pounds a month, isn't it?

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: We're not sponsored by a zempic by the way, or whatever it is that the base drug is. I can't remember what it's called.

It's been nine days since we last did a lesson, Ron

It's called like Marjorie or something like that. Manzool.

Ron: It's not margarine.

Laura: Yeah, you just inject margarine directly into your veins, I believe. Uh, anyway, enjoy this episode. That is not entirely at all related to what we've just been jibber jabbing about.

Ron: Apart from the fact it's about inaccuracy.

Laura: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, um.

Ron: Bom. Um.

Laura: Ow. Which book do I need? I've got so many little notebooks rattling about these days.

Ron: Ron, you do have a lot.

Laura: Do you know what's really changed about my life in A level Ron, is I haven't used a single gel pen in this book.

Ron: Just grown up. Biros.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Wow.

Laura: Uh, yeah. Oh, I'm So happy that D. Although here's the thing I didn't tell you in the quiz from last week, Ron, I did a capital D and it actually should have been a little D.

Ron: It should have been a little D. Yeah.

Laura: Uh, but I've still got all of them. Little. I've got the points.

Ron: I actually don't know how that would have been marked. I'm sure they'd have given you a.

Laura: Capital d. Big D. Um, 14th. Wow. It's been nine days since we last did a lesson, Ron.

Ron: Wow, that really.

Laura: Yeah, 5th of March. I've put down the last lesson.

Ron: Was we just done Patreon stuff since then?

Laura: I think we've only done one record since then.

Ron: Oh. Oh, it's like we're recording all the time.

Laura: Yeah. On that subject, quick pause and I'll edit this out. Yikes. Right, screen physics 3.

Ron: Here's the thing about getting made redundant, Laura. I was officially told by a man called Rupert yesterday that I am not expected to contribute anymore.

Laura: Oh. Uh, yeah. So you just don't work anymore?

Ron: Well, I. Like, I'm trying not to fuck anyone over, so if something really needs to be done, I'm doing it. But, yeah, there's no expectation of me to do anything.

Laura: Wow.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Is that messing with your noodle?

Ron: Um, no, because I'm being. I think it would if I was at home. Um, but I'm in Brussels.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Um, and then also, like, I'm just. I'm just, uh, doing a lot of job applications and stuff.

Laura: Yeah. Any good jobs coming up? Maybe social media manager for a podcast called Lex Education?

Ron: Oh, God, no. Um, I mean, there's lots of good jobs out there, but they don't want to fucking speak to me.

Laura: Ron, everyone should want to speak to you who works for a company that needs

00:10:00

Laura: Ron to work for it. Let us know. If you get Ron a job, you can have a lifetime's free membership to the Lexed Patreon.

Ron: Yeah, I'll, um.

Ron says he works in customer success in SaaS

Yeah, so I work in customer success in SaaS. Um, traditionally in the accounting industry.

Laura: What he means by that is not his customer success. And a bit sarcastic to everybody.

Ron: No. What does that mean, Laura?

Laura: What? Sas? Yeah, Specialist analytics software.

Ron: No. What if I told you it was S capital S? Two small A's and then another capital.

Laura: S, Um, secret and amazing service.

Ron: No, Software as a service.

Laura: Oh, uh, yeah. Gosh, yeah.

Ron: I've got five years experience. I've taken startup, uh, all the way through scale up and through to acquisition, building two teams in the UK and, uh, Australia.

Laura: So While you're not working, do you want to do all the editing?

Ron: No.

Laura: Why?

Ron: Because I do keep doing my half. You keep doing your half, but you.

Laura: Haven'T got a job.

Ron: Neither do you.

Laura: I do.

Ron: This is your job.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Yeah. So do your job.

Laura: Well, I think you could step up then, while you're on gardening leave. You are now in charge of social medias. I want a post a day on all of our socials.

Ron: No.

Laura: Yes.

Ron: No.

Laura: Yes.

Ron: I won't be doing that.

Laura: You need to, Ron. If you would just focus on that, then you wouldn't need to get another job. We could just be professional podcasters.

Ron: I don't think that's the thing holding us back.

Laura: Do you think it's the podcast?

Ron: I think it's partially the podcast. I think it's, uh, identity politics. I think it's the niche thing that we're doing, and I think it's generally just kind of our attitude.

Laura: Well, I refuse to change any of those things. Um, you're a white man. This should be so successful. God, I hate when I can't blame it on political identity and it has to be our fault.

Ron: But m. Yeah, no, well, I won't be doing that.

Laura: It's my non symmetrical hair. That's what it is, isn't it?

Ron: Yeah, that fringe, man.

Laura: Shut up about the fringe. So rude.

Ron: Right, Laura, need, uh, a lot of pep in the step today.

Laura: Okay?

Ron: Tell. And I'll tell you for why. It's because we're still in, um, the dry, dry forest kilowatts of physics.

Laura: What not.

The divided sign is a very easy way to represent enormous or tiny numbers

Ron: Yeah, so run us through what we've covered so far in physics.

Laura: Right. So, uh, we began, Ron, a million years ago with standard form M1 to the 10, standard form 10 to the 19. It's a very easy way to represent enormous or tiny numbers.

Ron: Yep, that's true. Um, what is 8 times 10 to the 16 divided by 2 times M, 10 to the 8th.

Laura: Ah. Whoa. I have no idea what 8 times 10? 8. 8. 8. 8 times 10.

Ron: Stop saying 8.

Laura: She ate 8 times 10 to the 16. Yep.

Ron: Divided, uh, by 2 times 10 to the 8.

Laura: Do you ever feel sorry for the little divided sign? Whoa, I just got the divided sign. It's like a line with a dot on a dot over it. And those dots represent the numbers being above and below.

Ron: Huh. Yeah, I never really thought about that before.

Laura: I was just gonna say I feel sorry for it because it's, like, the only one that's a bit babyish, you know?

Ron: Why is it babyish?

Laura: Because then when you Become a grown up. You start doing dividing by putting them above and below the line.

Ron: Mmm. Mhm. Yeah.

Laura: Whereas the others just stay how they are. But it's just a little. It's not babyish. It's a symbol.

Ron: And it means divide. Yeah. So what's the answer to this question?

Laura: Dunno. Is this the pep and the step you wanted? Um. Oh God. Right. Adding and subtracting. You have to work them out. No, this is dividing though. Oh God. Hang um on. Didn't write down what to do with divine. No, I did. Wait, um, when dividing, use plus and

00:15:00

Laura: minus. Divide a, subtract the. What's a. My doodle. Okay, but wait, they're not the same number. So can I still do that? Whoa, Tom's home. It's difficult to say. I believe I can because that's the same. So what do I do there? Divide a, subtract. So that'll be ten to the eight. Uh, six times ten to the eight, Ron. No, four times ten to the eight.

Ron: Yes.

Laura: Yes. What are you doing?

Ron: What do you mean?

Laura: Well, you were chomping about.

Ron: Say that again.

Laura: Came out weird, didn't it?

Ron: Yeah. Why did you get a new accent for a second chump in a bed?

Laura: Oh, I'm listening to an audiobook at the moment, Ron.

Ron: Very Sacha Baron Curtis.

Laura: It was a bit weird, wasn't it?

This narrator jumps flawlessly between Portuguese accent and an Icelandic accent

Chump in a bed. I'm listening to an audiobook at the moment and it's set. Uh, got half Portuguese characters, half Icelandic.

Ron: Did you finish Neanderthals?

Laura: Yeah. I really like those books. Can't wait for the next one. But I can't listen to them back to back because I get a bit bored of it being samey. But this one and this narrator just is jumping flawlessly between Portuguese accent and an Icelandic accent. And it's like those are two quite tricky accents. I would say they're not the average ones that a British person would have in their repertoire. And um, then if all the chapter headings so. And it's quite a dark book. So he'll be like putting on this accent, like, and then chapter 10. And it's really weird. It goes from like in the Severed Head Rolled down the Mountain, Chapter 10 of Ice and Fire.

Ron: It's really Weird by Steve Coogan.

Laura: This is why I don't get much audiobook work.

Ron: Um, no. Uh, would you prefer if it was like an Australian talking to a Jamaican person or something?

Laura: Well, it's just. They just feel like really obscure accents for one English person to be able to do both. Of them really well, do you know what I mean? Like, what English person do you know that's got half Portuguese family, half Icelandic, but they, I think they've probably learnt them. But that's. They're not the average accents that you'd just be. You go to.

Ron: You have coaches and stuff to learn accents.

Laura: Pardon?

Ron: We have coaches and stuff to learn accents.

Laura: Yeah, but you're not gonna hire an accent coach just to do one audiobook.

Ron: Maybe you would.

Laura: I don't think you would.

Ron: But no, maybe they just have. Maybe they've done them before. But also I think quite. I think you're imagining that at least the, the tableau that you're painting is this person sits down behind the. With the book open and just starts reading and is fluidly flitting between these different accents. Yeah, no, I imagine it's very edited. We get to a Portuguese bit and they might go, hang on, uh, porto. Porto.

Laura: Yeah, I'm sure that's how Lisbon. I think it's very impressive to be able to do a 20 hour book where you are sitting in a little room for like eight hours a day reading. And he's just crushing it. I'm really impressed.

There was a twist in the plot last night, Ron, driving home

There was a twist in the plot last night, Ron, driving home that I nearly had to pull over and Google to see whether I'd just been thick and misunderstood something. And then when I got home, I just sat in the car for like 15 minutes googling and checking what other people had to say about this plot twist. And it was very good.

Ron: What are you reading? Game of Thrones?

Laura: No, it's called the Falcons of Ice and Fire. There's this author called Karen Maitland who I really like, who does quite like dark mediaeval, always with like a witchy fantasy twist to them. Um, and they're, they're long winded, so they take a while to get into. But then they're just. They're great. I really like them. I've listened to a lot of hers. I think they're really fun. This one's like, starts in Portugal and you've got the Inquisition there and this girl's dad is the royal falconer. And then these two ger falcons die and he gets arrested and then, um, he's put in prison. Uh, but if she can get two new Jerfalcons to the palace in time, so she starts on this trek to Iceland. And then in Iceland you've got these twins who've been chained up in a cave and they've got the second sight. Um, and yeah, they've got like a spirit, a Drauga that they're trying to keep in a dead body. And it's wild. What are you doing?

00:20:00

Laura: Ah, that's a pineapple. Mhm. Those toys are really expensive, these ones. Jelly Cat toys.

Ron: This isn't Jelly Cat.

Laura: Uh. Oh, is it?

Ron: This is too cute, by doho.

Laura: Oh.

Ron: Uh, this was one affair.

Laura: Right. Did you just win it in the grief year? What's that?

Ron: Capybara.

Laura: Aw. Saw a captor, I think.

Ron: Also one at the fair.

Laura: Are, uh, we recording? Yeah.

Ron: Good.

Laura: We haven't done anything yet, Ron. You're not putting enough content into these lessons.

Laura: We're going to talk about a concept called uncertainty

Ron: Well, okay, so we're going to talk about a concept called uncertainty, Laura. And it's something that you are very used to.

Laura: I'm really good at uncertainty.

Ron: Yes. Um, so uncertainty.

Laura: Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle.

Ron: Yeah, not that.

Laura: Is that right though?

Ron: Yeah, but I don't really know what that is.

Laura: I think it's something to do with like nuclear stuff, isn't it?

Ron: Yeah. Probs. We should watch Oppenheimer for a Patreon.

Laura: No.

Ron: Why?

Laura: Sad. Long got that man with the face in it.

Ron: Cillian Murphy.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: You're not a Murphy guy.

Laura: I just think he's a bit like, annoyed at being successful.

Ron: I don't get the hype.

Laura: Yeah. I think he's got an interesting looking face.

Ron: Oh, I think he's handsome. Hm.

Laura: I don't think I've ever seen him act in anything, so I have no idea about his acting talent. But also that guy, what's his name? Leroy Bibbins that directs Leroy Jenkins. No.

Ron: Leroy Jenkins.

Laura: Who's Leroy Jenkins?

Ron: It's, it's an older meme. It's like back in the days of like World of Warcraft. Um, and then there's like this group of people, um, and they're like planning like one of these raids on, you know, like when loads of people get together and do a thing on World of Warcraft. And then like the lead guy's there and he's like, okay, some people are gonna go up here and then you're gonna have to strafe with arrows down there. And then. And I want you guys at the back covering us with health potions. And I go in over this whole plan and then this guy just goes, Leeroy Jenkins. And then just runs in. And then they have to stop the. It's really, it's. It's a classic meme.

Laura: Huh.

Ron: Like it's from. I think it's from before my time. It was an older Meme. When I started using the Internet.

Laura: Grandpa Meme. I don't. I don't remember that. Meme.

Ron: Leroy M. Jenkins.

Laura: What is his name? Martin.

Ron: I don't know who you're talking about.

Laura: The guy that directs the things. And all the cast are the same. Like Shakespeare.

Ron: Christopher Nolan.

Laura: That's the one. Yeah.

Ron: Like Shakespeare.

Laura: Yeah. You know, he just has the same cast and he just sort of casts them in everything. Yeah, I don't really like it when it's like that because then I get confused about what film I'm watching.

Ron: Yeah, but not to sound like an Internet nerd from, like 2012, but Christopher Nolan's films are for people a bit smarter than you. Which Matt Damon film is this? Oh.

Laura: They're All Blue.

Ron: Which film? I can't remember what I'm watching.

Laura: I watched half a film this week.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Which Disney film was that?

Laura: No, it was.

Ron: Is that why you like animated films? Because this. They can't have the same actors in them, but some of them do.

Laura: Ron.

Ron: Um, sequels.

Laura: Um. I don't really watch animated films either. On my own. I just don't watch films. I watched half of From Russia With Love.

Ron: Such a rogue choice, but okay.

Tom and I are trying to watch all the Bond films

Laura: Tom and I are trying to watch all the Bond films. We started in January and we're halfway through the second one.

Ron: What did you watch first?

Laura: The first one?

Ron: Dr. No.

Laura: I don't know. Can't remember. Yeah, yeah. What did have a character called Dr. No?

Ron: I don't know which. Warren Connery from the series.

Laura: Well, I've read the books, so I do know what's happening in these,

00:25:00

Laura: which is helpful, but they're not.

Ron: You've read the. No, the James Bond books are quite the read.

Laura: Uncertainty principle. We're 15 minutes in, Ron. We've done nothing.

Ron: Yeah, we're having a good time.

Laura: Yeah. Whoa. Don't peek. Peaky Blinder. Gosh, what a face.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Now that is a face that would launch a thousand ships.

Ron: You could dig a trench with that face.

Laura: I bet Helen of Troy looked like Cillian Murphy.

Ron: Do you know the thing with Helen of Troy is that it, like, it wasn't just because she was hot. There was like a big treaty that meant they had to.

Laura: Yeah. And it was kind of asshole behaviour. And they all hated each other and fought all the time anyway.

Ron: Yeah. And Troy's like, on Anatolia, so not even one of the Helenes.

Laura: Yeah. Fuck Troy. Now, that's a film I liked when it first came out, Troy. Yeah.

Ron: Well, the new Christopher Nolan film, the Odyssey, is supposedly A sequel to it.

Laura: Is it spiritually, but uh, there's a bird in my throat. Um, but I bet it's just not fun and rompy. I just wish. Mel Gibson aside, I wish people would make more things like the Patriot and like some, some Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. I just don't want all films to just be such hard work. I think I want some, some Waterworld esque nonsense back in my life.

Ron: Yeah, but I think, I think just Marvel and the big franchises have taken up all of that space on the stage.

Laura: You know, they're just wank.

Ron: Fast and Furious.

Laura: Oh, uh, there's a lot of those, aren't there? Yeah, I do quite like driving stuff. Maybe I should watch those.

Ron: And you love the Rock.

Laura: Yeah, I'll have a think about it. Maybe when I finish watching all the Bond films, I'll watch all the Fast and Furious films. Maybe I'm a franchise girl. Except for the fact that I'm not enjoying Bond ones.

Ron: Why? Why aren't you enjoying Bond?

Laura: They're just not very good, Ron.

Ron: No, they look good, but about. That's about it.

Laura: And they don't even look good.

Ron: Do they not?

Laura: No, they look plasticky and the shots are really long and they kiss weird and. Yeah.

Ron: Why are you watching them?

Laura: I don't know. Because Tom likes to watch films and I feel like we should sometimes do stuff that makes him happy.

Ron: Hmm. Why don't you say look, Tom? Um, Jim's not doing it for me anymore. Amazon's bought it and I don't want to watch it now.

Laura: We're working on DVD though, so nobody's benefiting.

Ron: Oh God. And you have to get up in between each film.

Laura: Ron, we're watching half a film a month. It's not hard to get up between films.

Ron: Um, but just say look, let's ditch that.

Peaky Blinders is a slog. I watched that bleak show. It's not edited and directed by Stalin

And now can I introduce you to a bunch of bold men that drive cars?

Laura: Yeah, but one of them's dead these days.

Ron: Yeah, but they haven't scrubbed. It's not edited and directed by Stalin. He's still in the films.

Laura: He was handsome.

Ron: And the rocks in it. Who you love?

Laura: I love the Rock. Ron, we have to do some science.

Ron: I'm trying.

Laura: You're not trying.

Ron: You brought us back to Killian Murphy, then we got back on the train. No, uh, you said Peaky Blinders.

Laura: Yeah, because you now.

Ron: Peaky Blinders is a slog. I watched that bleak show.

Laura: Is that like New York? Invisible? Pardon?

Ron: It's about some guys and they like run a betting shop. Alright, Arthur and Then they have, they have really severe haircuts and they're quite cruel.

Uncertainty is the uncertainty in a measurement that you've taken

Anyway, so uncertainty, Laura. Yeah, Uncertainty is kind of, uh, the sort of the greenhouse where all of the plants that we've been talking about grow. So we've been talking about things like zero errors, systematic errors, human errors, uh, accuracy, precision, all of that. Right, yeah, all of that. What are you looking at?

Laura: I'm writing this down.

Ron: Oh, wow. Um, all of that kind of then boils down to the uncertainty in a measurement that you've taken. Um, and being able to

00:30:00

Ron: sort of express uncertainty is, uh, important for then interpreting the results of something that you've got.

Laura: Oh, okay.

Ron: Um, so there's kind of, um, there's, there's a couple of different ways that you get to the uncertainty of a measurement. One would be by looking at the errors in precision and whatnot. The sort of the parameters of the measurement that you're making. The other is when, um, if you take a measurement multiple times, you would then find out what your answer for the, um, your answer would be like the average of all of those things. But the uncertainty would be the range between the biggest and the smallest.

Laura: This is really boring, isn't it?

Ron: Yeah. That's why I keep on taking us on these fun tangents.

Laura: But instead of tangents, can't we just make this fun? Okay, so like if you were like, you might have nine elephants, but you've got seven because you were wearing wacky glasses when you looked. So we need to be able to express how wacky the glasses were, that kind of thing.

Ron: Um, but it's more like you've got nine elephants.

Laura: Mhm.

Ron: And you weigh all the elephants. You weigh all the elephants.

Laura: Everybody say whale.

Ron: And sometimes it's 9.1 tonnes, sometimes it's 8.9 tonnes, sometimes it's 9 tonnes and.

Laura: We line up the elephants and you say who's been losing weight?

Ron: And then you got to work out how wacky that scale is. Okay, so in that example I just.

Laura: Gave, one of the other monkeys at the circus might have been leaving nuts on it, maybe monkey error. Uh.

Ron: So what would the uncertainty be in that one that I just said there, Laura?

Laura: Oh, could be a zero error, could be human error, could be accuracy, precision.

Ron: Yeah, but I asked about the uncertainty.

Laura: Yeah, I didn't understand how we measure uncertainty. The weight is the uncertainty.

Ron: No, that's fine. So we're going to work out how to calculate uncertainty now, Laura.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: Calculating. There's three different types of uncertainty. Well, no, there's three different ways that we can display uncertainty.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: Um, we have absolute uncertainty. The state you live in day in a day out.

Laura: Absolute.

Ron: Absolute uncertainty is where you give the uncertainty as a fixed quantity. I, ah, just a number.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: So for, ah, my wacky zany farm.

Laura: Is this like the plus or minus thing?

Ron: Yes. So with my elephants there, we took three measurements. 8.9 tonnes, 9 tonnes and 9.1 tonnes.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: We'll average that out to 9 tonnes is our, uh, measurement.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: And then it's plus or minus 0.1 tonnes would be the uncertainty.

Laura: Okay. Yeah, I remember that coming up at GCSE and I've remembered it.

Ron: Fractional uncertainty is where instead of giving that fixed quantity, the uncertainty would be given as a fraction of the measurement.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: So essentially.

Laura: Okay, yeah, I understand, yeah.

Ron: Plus or minus 0.1 tonnes over nine tonnes, essentially.

Laura: Yeah. Okay. Okay.

Ron: And then the last one would be percentage uncertainty, which is the same thing as fractional, but you use a percentage instead of a fraction.

Laura: Yeah. It feels like they're really spinning this out to fill up the book.

Ron: Yeah, it is dull. Sorry, listeners. Maybe we could put some really rad music, like have like a guitar solo.

Laura: In the background going, hey, listen, you've got nothing but time. Why don't you write some new jingles?

Ron: No, I need to find a job.

Laura: Why didn't you make this your job?

Ron: Cause I need to eat.

Laura: Yeah, Ron, but the rest is history. Make a million pounds a year each off their podcast.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Think how much dip you could get for a million pounds.

Ron: Three weeks into having this podcast, we had all the fans we've got now.

Laura: That's not true, Ron. That's not true. Every now and again we find another weirdo that loves it.

Ron: Once every six months we pick up another listener.

Ron says Facebook is bottleneck for female comedians

And I love them.

Laura: By the

00:35:00

Laura: time we get that listener, eight of our existing listeners can't afford to be patrons anymore because the world is sliding into a billion ocracy. But listen, one day the tide is gonna turn, Ron, and it's all gonna come flooding into our little reservoir.

Ron: I think I'll just keep at my lucrative career. Yeah.

Laura: Can I have some of your money from your lucrative career?

Ron: No.

Laura: Please?

Ron: No.

Laura: Okay. My career is not lucrative.

Ron: No, no, it's not.

Laura: Somebody. The other day I was doing a post on Facebook about like the bottleneck for female comedians, and this guy was just like, you just. You're on the circuit and you're smashing the game and you're at the top of your thingy. Like, just stay away from all this, like TV and blah Blah, blah, nonsense. I, uh, just ended up replying going, like, what? Sorry, what? Like, would you just do your job knowing there was no chance of a pay rise or progression and in fact you're getting pay cuts every six weeks as inflation goes up and your pay stays the same as it was when you started. Like, shut up. What are you talking about?

Ron: Yeah, I was, um, uh, chatting to someone at work recently. Well, it's like someone at an affiliate organisation that I work with. And um, it was like two people I don't really know on the call. And then one of them says to the other one like, oh, you've got your stand up tomorrow, don't you? And then she was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and then it turns out that, um, uh, she for Christmas been given like six, um, week, like stand up course. And then at the end, um, everyone that was on the course then does a type 5.

Laura: Where is that? Which course is she doing?

Ron: I don't know. I think she lives in London. Wonder if that's Logan, but that sounds like a nightmare. Just 12amateur comics all doing five minutes.

Laura: I've hosted many of those shows.

Ron: She was, she was saying one of.

Laura: Those courses for your birthday.

Ron: She was saying that, um, uh, quite a lot of the people that she was doing with though, she like recognised the jokes that they were telling from like online. Like they were just parroting other people's bits.

Laura: That sounds like a bad course then. That should have got called out.

Ron: Yeah. Um, but then, um, she. But then she was like, uh, yeah, um, I don't think I was like, oh, you gonna start doing comedy? Is that something you're interested in? She basically just went, no, I'm not really into the whole female comedian thing. And then was like, yeah, because like, you see people like Sarah Milliken and she just does jokes about weight loss and I don't think that like, that works. Um, I had to go into bat for female comics.

Laura: Thanks, Ron.

Ron: It was very, very awkward.

Laura: Jesus. Imagine having that much internalised hatred towards yourself. M. You can talk about anything, lady. Yeah, what a weirdo.

The uncertainty in a reading is one way to measure uncertainty

Ron: So how do we find out what the uncertainty is, Laura?

Laura: Um, well, we measure it, Ron.

Ron: Well, there's different ways.

Laura: Oh, okay.

Ron: Um, the uncertainty in a reading is one way to do it. A, um, reading would be where you have some equipment that just kind of gives you a number. Yeah. Um, so something like a voltmeter or um, a digital thermometer, I suppose.

Laura: What? I've lost track. What are you talking about?

Ron: Oh, no, sorry. A, ah, uh, reading is Like. Yeah, yeah. We're working out the uncertainty from a piece of equipment that gives you, um. Yeah. Really? So, uh, yeah. Like a voltmeter or thermometer or something like that.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: The uncertainty in that. Any. Any ideas? So, you know, like a voltmeter where you, like, put the two bits on and then the. The arm goes.

Laura: Would that be one where you do it a couple of times and then do the plus or minus?

Ron: Well, ideally, you do all of this stuff a couple of times, but, um, even if you only did it once from one of these things, there's still a certain amount of uncertainty.

Laura: Hmm. M. Well, I just don't know. 1.

Ron: So with a voltmeter or a thermometer, it would be half of the smallest division. So if it was a thermometer, the uncertainty would be half a degree.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: Because you'd be able to tell which degree it was closest to. But then there's a range around that.

Laura: Yeah. Okay.

Ron: Okay. What about the uncertainty in a measurement? Um, like from a ruler? A measurement between two points.

00:40:00

Laura: Oh, a whole degree.

Ron: And why is that?

Laura: Um. Just felt right in my bones.

Ron: Well, it's because with something like a ruler and a measurement, you essentially have that half of the smallest division. Uncertainty. But you got it on both ends.

Laura: Yeah, true.

Ron: So one of the smallest division.

Laura: Wow. I got it right, though.

Ron: Yeah. And then the other smart.

Next one is uncertainty in repeated data. So that's one we've already covered

Today, the next one is uncertainty in repeated data. So that's one we've already covered.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Half of the range from the smallest to the largest.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: And then the last one is the uncertainty in digital reading.

Laura: Digital uncertainty.

Ron: So that'll be plus or minus the last significant digit.

Laura: Digit.

Ron: Do you know what that means? Yeah, do tell.

Laura: Um, the last, um, number that's displayed on the screen.

Ron: Yeah, yeah, basically.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Um, because you can't measure any smaller than that.

Laura: Yeah, yeah.

Ron: Um, we need to work out what we do when there are multiple different types of uncertainty.

Laura: Uh, we take Sertraline.

Ron: Um, that's known as combining uncertainties. Laura.

Laura: Ooh.

Ron: When you have to add or subtract data that has uncertainties connected to it.

Laura: Oh, God, it's so boring.

Ron: This is so boring. But there's no way to zhuzh this up.

Laura: Do you think there could be a way to zhuzh it up?

Ron: Okay. When you're adding and subtracting the weight of elephants.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Ah.

Laura: I think that that's how Mr. Bowditch would have done it. Ron.

Ron: Don'T talk about mister.

Laura: You need to be more Bowditch.

Ron: Right.

Okay. So we've got elephants. And that we're uncertain about their weight

Okay. So we've got elephants. And that we're uncertain about their weight. Yeah, what you do is you just add the cooked. Oh, God.

Laura: I think you should plan the zhuzh before the episode.

Ron: Yeah, but I forgot we were doing this this morning. Uh.

Laura: Oh, yeah. I did think that your text back saying, normal lesson, question mark, I'll be ready in 20 minutes, was quite telling. Well, why don't we call it here and we'll come back next episode with some zhuzhi elephants?

Ron: Because then that means another lesson doing this.

Laura: It can just be the beginning bit. You can just zhush some elephants, and then we'll move on.

Ron: Fine.

Laura: You can do it, Ron. I believe in you. Three episodes time. We're gonna have the best time working out.

Ron: I won't remember.

Laura: You've got nothing else to do with your life.

Ron: Shut up. Uh, I'm so busy at the moment.

Laura: What are you doing?

Ron: I'm, like, going to some places. I need to get a job.

Laura: Well, get one then. I'm trying Zhuzh the elephants as your, like, pep. Your pep in the morning. Duolingo zhuzh. An elephant. Boom. Apply for a job. Get the job.

Ron: You and I feel vastly different about this podcast.

Laura: It's quizzin time.

Ron: Feels like a long time since we did this.

Laura: Well, it has been. We didn't record at all last week, Ron, because of the big old Scotland trip.

Ron: Yeah. Being away at different times.

Laura: Yeah, we need to cram some. Some records in soon.

Ron: Yes, we do.

Laura: Um, give me one second. I won't give you one second. I will. I always do.

Ron M. Cohen has a video that's going viral on Facebook

Ron: Okay, I'm back.

Laura: He's back. Ugh. I've got a video currently going viral on Facebook, and, man, it's so boring. The anger, uh, from the men.

Ron: Yeah. Good viral or bad viral?

Laura: The thing is, it's. It's really odd because it goes viral, and that's good. It's. You know, I'm picking up hundreds of followers a day, and it's getting lots of likes and stuff. But then the comments, the kind of people that comment once something's going viral tend to be the angry people who are like, why is this viral? Um, so it's, like,

00:45:00

Laura: super positive, except for all the comments are horrible. But then the people who like it are sort of invisible a little bit. Um, so it's necessary and it's fine, but it's just. It's kind of like controls. Please come up with a new format for. It's about as funny as a burning orphanage. It's about as funny as a crab on a wall on my butthole. Um, it's Just. It's a boring joke format. M. Can you come up with a new one, please?

Ron: Let's. Let's workshop it. What would you do?

Laura: I just wouldn't comment. I would, um.

Ron: Let's say you felt compelled by how miserable your own life is.

Laura: Okay.

Ron: Needed a glimmer of power by taking away someone else's shine because they actually have a hobby that isn't just media something.

Laura: Please don't call my career a hobby, Ron. That's poking me in the soft underbelly.

Ron: There you go. I just did one.

Laura: Yeah, there you go. Maybe that's perfect, Ron. That's. That. Can you run trolling courses?

Ron: Yes. Yes, I can.

Laura: I think that's what you should be doing is teaching these people how to be better at trolling. I also feel like putting out a disclaimer with. With all of my videos. Like, um, yes, this is my hair. Um, two. Yes, that. That is the amount of body fat I have. Three. No. While I find women attractive, I am in a relationship with a man. There you go. There's your top three things you want to have a go at me for. Also, it's spelled D, Y, K, E. If you're going to use a slur, spell it properly.

Ron: Lesson one on, um, the Ron trolls.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Would be. It's got to be about the content, boys.

Laura: But, yes, you have to. You have to pretend it's about the content. Yeah, that's got to be lesson one.

Ron: 1. Pretend it's about the content comes from the emasculation.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: But the. The put down has to be about the content.

Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, yeah. So in this case, I mean, some of them will. What's this video about? Oh, it's interesting, this one, because sometimes I hate the working class. Um, which obviously I do. Who wouldn't? Yuck. They're disgusting. But in this one, I'm bitter because I'm dealing with somebody who's not working class. Yeah, I guess maybe that could be lesson two.

Ron: Wrong.

Laura: Make sure they can never win.

Ron: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I think lesson two is factors, uh, into that, but I think it's about context. Does not matter. Yeah, you just narrow in on the snippet.

Laura: The snippet? Yes.

Child of the podcast was drawing a picture today of Mario

Oh, my God. Child of the podcast was drawing a picture today. She came really good at drawing, and she's obsessed with Mario Brothers. So she was drawing Mario and. And she turned the hat and the eyes and the face and the moustache. And then I said, and then draw a big tummy. And then she drew the Hand. She gave one four digits and the other eight and I was like, you crack on. Then she put legs on, she put shoes on. I was like, this is a good drawing. And then she looked at me, went, does he have a peanut or a Gina? And I was like, um, a peanut probably. So she just drew a peanut on the front and went just like daddy. And there's his china there. So now we have like, what would have been like a really good to put on the fridge. Like, oh, this is quite, you know, this is good. It's got arms and legs. This is quite a development stage. And now it's just got a massive dong on the front.

Ron: Do we think Mario is packing that meat?

Laura: Um, I don't know.

Ron: I found out presumably his is wide and short and Luigi's is long and thin. Ew.

Laura: Uh, I found out a cool fact about Mario this week that I didn't know. You know, when he goes like, it's a me Mario. Mhm. Do you know that originally that wasn't him saying it's a me Mario, It's u Me. Yeah. Which means super in Japanese.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: And now Tom tells me it. It is, it's a me Mario. But yeah, uh, everybody knew this fact except me already. M. Should we do a quiz?

Ron: Yeah. Can you remember what we were.

Laura: Yes, because I edited it yesterday and uh. Oh my God, I was on a train for so long yesterday, Ron.

Ron: To get the Edinburgh down to London.

Laura: Glasgow to London, but the Glasgow bit got screwed up by a broken track. So just Glasgow to London took from 9:30 till 5 past 4.

Ron: Rough.

Laura: Yeah. I must apply for my train refund today. Um, so it was errors. No, it wasn't. It was inaccuracy uncertain.

Ron: Um.

Laura: Damn it.

00:50:00

Laura: Third time lucky.

Ron: Laura.

Laura: Yes.

What is the percentage uncertainty of a thermometer measuring 78 degrees

Ron: What is the percentage uncertainty of a thermometer measuring 78 degrees?

Laura: Wait, what?

Ron: What is the percentage uncertainty of a thermometer measuring 78 degrees?

Laura: I don't know.

Ron: You don't know?

Laura: No. What? I don't remember working that out at the thermometer. You do half the reading. Half an integer of reading. Percentage. Dunno, Ron. Percentage. Don't m know, Ron. I don't know at all. Don't even know where to start.

Ron: Okay, what's the fractional uncertainty?

Laura: Oh no.

Ron: Ruler measuring 24 centimetres.

Laura: Okay, so if it was 24 centimetres. Well, I don't know. How deeply does this ruler measure?

Ron: What's a standard ruler?

Laura: It's got millimetres.

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: So it says 2 millimetres. Potential discrepancy, I'm going to say. So, um, um, how many millimetres in that times that by 120? 400 over two. So one over 1200? No. Okay, well, that was a good guess, though.

Ron: Certainly not. Okay, Laura, what is the uncertain?

Laura: Okay, I don't think this is what the lesson was. I edited this yesterday.

Ron: We did do percentage and fractional uncertainty.

Laura: I remember you telling me they were a thing. I don't remember you telling me how to work them out.

Ron: Maybe m. We did maybe wrong.

Laura: Are you quizzing me on stuff we haven't done?

Ron: Well, we have done it. I just. Apparently we stopped halfway through because I had all my notes and stuff on.

Laura: It because I think you were gonna zhuzh it up with elephants. Oh.

Ron: Uh, wow. Okay, we'll be back. Okay, we'll be back with elephants. Sneaky peaky.

Laura: Yeah. I don't think you've taught me this, Ron. Sure, I think I remember you teaching me. Like, if it's. If it's a reading error, that's.

Ron: This is the. This is the.

What is the uncertainty in a reading, eg, from a voltmeter

The next four questions.

Laura: Okay? Okay.

Ron: What is the uncertainty in a reading, eg, from a voltmeter?

Laura: It's. It's. It's one. It's the smallest integer of the display.

Ron: No, it's plus or minus half the smallest division.

Laura: Oh, uh, yeah, because that's you doing the reading.

Ron: What about the uncertainty in a measurement, e. G. From a ruler?

Laura: That's two, because it can be either end.

Ron: Well, it's two of the last ones, so it's at least one of the smallest divisions.

Laura: Okay, well, this is on me because you did teach me this. The first ones are on you. These ones are on me.

Ron: What's the uncertainty in repeated data?

Laura: Half the difference between the smallest and biggest reading.

Ron: Yes. Half the range. You get one.

Laura: Right.

Ron: Uh, and then finally, what is the uncertainty in digital readings?

Laura: The smallest integer on the display.

Ron: Yes. Unless otherwise quoted.

Laura: Yes.

Ron: Congrats, Laura. We'll give you two out of four for that one.

Laura: Yes. Okay. And the next physics will have some motherfucking zhuzhy elephants in it.

Ron: Yeah, we're going from dog food to cowpaw.

Laura: What a weird quiz. Well, from my memory, Ron and I edited this one so long ago that I can't quite remember, but I think I did all right in that episode.

00:55:00

Ron: Yeah, it's. It's a. I think, um, this whole sort of, um, murky wood that we're in with physics at the moment is all fairly like. It's all stuff everyone kind of gets, but you just got to apply the right language to it so that you can communicate it.

Laura: Wait, though, Ron, I think I've just remembered. This was the one where you started trying to quiz me on stuff we hadn't done. Yes. It would be better if Ron had quizzed me on what we had done and then we'd known what the episode was about before we started doing the outro. Shut up, please. Thank you kindly. We didn't, and we never will. This is the one where you are. Ah. This gives us a sneak peek into what the next physics will be, which is calculating uncertainties.

Ron: Yeah, I remember that now.

Laura: Yeah. Oh, no, that's gonna be boring. Skip the next one, guys. Huh? Not the next episode. The next episode is lipids.

Ron: Sneak peek for the episode we're about to record. I've made an exact decision to just jump to the next section of physics for the sake of the podcast.

Laura: Oh, Ron, that's exciting. Oh, is it physics today?

Ron: Yeah.

Laura: Oh. Oh, I hate physics. Although they've all been pretty shit in A level. I want to go back to gcse. Maybe let's just do the GCSE podcast again. But this time I'll seem so clever.

Ron: Um, that's a bold, bold thing to say.

Laura: Ron. Come on, be kind to me.

Ron: Yeah, but what if we did just do it again? That was on the cards or something we could have done. I think we did talk about just, if we finish gcse, just starting it again, like painting the San Francisco Bridge.

Laura: How many years do you think we could do it before I could teach it to you?

Ron: Uh. Uh, well, as much better as you were getting at it, I'd also be getting that much better.

Laura: So.

Ron: Like, already, if you did it to me, I'd just be like, yeah, I know. For a lot of it. So I think if. If we then did it for, like, another seven years and then you start teaching it to me, that would be a terrible podcast.

Laura: I don't know. I think there'd be comedy value in, um, we could get guests on. And I will poorly explain their specialism to them while they sit there and go, yeah, okay. I don't really contribute. Like, the opposite of most podcasts, where you get a guest on to really make use of their expertise. We get a guest on just waste it for an hour.

Ron: That's. That's really funny. Especially if we don't tell them that's what it's.

Laura: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ron: Because nobody listens to the podcast before they guest on.

Laura: Absolutely not. No.

Ron: Yeah, yeah.

We've run out of guests, though, have we

Laura: Uh, all right, well, we'll get thinking about that. Maybe that could be this year's guest Episode that everybody hates.

Ron: Yeah, we just. We've run out of guests, though, have we?

Laura: Only really.

Ron: Only really. Only done two and a half years, huh?

Laura: I think we've only had two guests, haven't we? Yeah, we're in our third year currently. Because that's the artwork we're on.

Ron: Yeah, yeah. Um, but we're coming up to that time.

Laura: We are, we are. By the time I get back from New Zealand, it'll be just around the corner.

Ron: Let's get a big star, like a Mark Ruffalo type.

Laura: Okay? You work on that while I'm in New Zealand.

Ron: Oh, you're gonna be in New Zealand. Get Rhys Darby.

Laura: Okay, I'll just get him.

Ron: Get him.

Laura: Excuse me, Agency of New Zealand Stars. I'm looking to get Rhys Darby, I presume.

Ron: He's just at the airport greeting people.

Laura: Can I have him, please? No, another flight of the Concorde will not do. It must be Rhys Darby.

Ron: Yeah. You know, I presume within two weeks you'll be sort of, you know, floating in a pool at Peter Jackson's house, and Rhys Darby will be there eating a coconut.

Laura: Wouldn't that just be great if I just became, like, a beloved darling of New Zealand?

Ron: Just be like, fuck, the hobbits have arrived. They were real, all alone.

Laura: I have got really hairy toes. I keep looking at them and thinking I should epilate them, but it hurts so much I can't remember whose tweet it was. And I wish I'd written it down at the time because they were very funny. But their bit about how toe hairs are actually attached to the bone and that's why it hurts so much to pull

01:00:00

Laura: them out.

Ron: I've never pulled them out.

Laura: Oh, uh, pull out one of your toe hairs now. You got any tweezers around?

Ron: It won't come out. Ow. Well, I pulled out, like, six.

Laura: It really hurts, doesn't it?

Ron: I mean, just pulling out hair hurts.

Laura: Oh. Did your toe hairs not hurt exceptionally much?

Ron: Not particularly. Pull out one of your nose hairs. Those are the most painful.

Laura: Oh, I don't know. I don't have long nose hairs.

Ron: Oh. I, um, have two little billy goat beards.

Laura: Well, thanks for listening, everyone. There's no register because none of you fucks want to give us any money. Except for the ones that already do, the hundreds of people that do. And we're very grateful for you, but we're looking at those other chumps. Um, but listen, we love you anyway, and we hope that you're happy in, um, all of your life choices. And don't forget to moisturise and wear sunscreen. I know it's only April and it's not like hot, hot, hot, but the sun is still the sun. And you must be careful.

Ron: Leave us a five star review. Wherever you listen to your podcast, it really helps new listeners come into the ecosystem.

Laura: Um, and wear a big badge that says, my favourite podcast is Lex Education. Why don't you listen to it?

Ron: Tell you what, only one of you fucks ever got a tattoo.

Class dismissed. Let's up that Carol strode out ahead of the rest

Let's up that Carol strode out ahead of the rest. Leader of the Leader of the Rat Pack.

Laura: Yeah.

Ron: Once again. And you know, she's. She's still treading water in the fan pool. And everyone else is milling around the outside.

Laura: Yeah. Um, bye, everyone.

Ron: Class dismissed.

01:01:54