First cousin once removed: how to read the family link
Learn what first cousin once removed means, count generations from a shared ancestor, and check a family tree against historical records.
7 min
Audio guides
Source-linked explainers that make a question easier to hear: science, maths, history, sport, time, measurement, and comparisons between listening and reading.
62 guides
True north vs. magnetic north: how to read a bearing
Learn the difference between true, magnetic, and grid north, then convert a clearly labelled hypothetical compass bearing without mixing up the sign of declination.
7 min
NBA goaltending vs. basket interference: what is the difference?
Learn how NBA officials separate goaltending from basket interference by tracking flight, backboard contact, the basket cylinder, and the Rule 11 penalty.
7 min
Why soap lifts grease: the chemistry of oil, water, and micelles
Water and grease do not mix, but soap can interact with both. Follow the molecule from oily tail to water-facing micelle and see how a rinse carries grease away.
5 min
How a refrigerator moves heat: an audio guide
A clear, source-linked explanation of how a refrigerator moves heat from its cabinet to the room through the evaporator, compressor, condenser, and expansion device.
7 min
How to read library call numbers: Dewey Decimal vs. Library of Congress
Learn how to read Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress call numbers, separate classification from local shelf order, and explain a label in a sourced audio guide.
6 min
Ice hockey icing: when the whistle stops play
Understand NHL hybrid icing, the race to the puck and key exceptions, with a worked rink example and links to the 2026–27 NHL and IIHF rules.
7 min
12-hour vs 24-hour clock: noon, midnight and dates
Learn how to read 12-hour and 24-hour clock notation, why noon is not 12 a.m. or 12 p.m., and how to label midnight at the start or end of a date.
7 min
Litres and millilitres: how to convert volume amounts
Convert litres to millilitres and back using 1,000 mL = 1 L, with clear bottle and recipe examples, unit symbols, comparisons, and rounding labels.
7 min
Why rainbows form: primary and double rainbow colours explained
Learn how refraction, dispersion and internal reflection form primary and double rainbows, with approximate 42-degree and 50-degree ray paths.
8 min
How to read a historical letter without inventing its meaning
Learn how to turn a historical letter into a careful audio guide by checking its address, date, purpose, original page, transcription, and context.
7 min
Golf par, birdie and bogey: how to read a stroke-play scorecard
Learn how par, birdie and bogey compare on a golf scorecard, then total gross strokes in a hypothetical three-hole stroke-play example with penalties explained.
8 min
Sound pitch vs. volume: frequency, amplitude and Hz explained
Learn pitch versus volume: frequency counts cycles in hertz, while amplitude and sound pressure describe signal strength, with 440 Hz and 880 Hz examples.
7 min
Why do some time zones use half-hour offsets?
Learn why civil time can differ from the 15-degree ideal, with Darwin and Newfoundland examples, standard-time arithmetic and daylight-saving context.
7 min
ERA versus WHIP: what baseball pitching rates mean
Learn how baseball's ERA and WHIP differ, why 5.1 IP means five and one-third innings, and how to calculate both rates with a clear example.
7 min
Area vs perimeter: what a rectangle's measurements tell you
Learn the difference between area and perimeter with 4 m by 6 m and 5 m by 5 m rectangles, clear units, and scaling arithmetic for a clear spoken explanation.
6 min
Why Earth has seasons, and why June reverses in Australia
Learn why Earth’s tilt changes sunlight and day length. Compare June and December in the US, UK, Canada and Australia without predicting local weather.
8 min
Why does a sundial disagree with a clock?
Understand why a sundial and a clock disagree: apparent solar time, the equation of time, longitude, time zones, and daylight saving time today.
7 min
Duckworth-Lewis-Stern cricket targets: par score versus winning target
Understand Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rain adjustments in cricket: how wickets and overs shape par scores, revised targets, and a fair result in plain language.
7 min
What does 1:25,000 map scale mean? A distance guide
Learn what 1:25,000 means, work out 2 cm as 500 m, compare 1:50,000, and measure straight lines or routes after resizing a map.
5 min
Celsius and Fahrenheit: read weather temperatures across units
Convert Celsius and Fahrenheit weather readings with clear 20°C, 0°C, and −10°C examples, then learn why a 10°C change equals an 18°F change.
7 min
Why tides tend to happen later each day
A plain science guide to the 24-hour-50-minute lunar day, local tidal patterns, and why a simple 50-minute shift is not an actual tide forecast.
9 min
NBA shot clock: when it resets to 24 or 14 seconds
A clear NBA-only guide to 24- and 14-second shot-clock resets, including offensive rebounds, fouls, out-of-bounds plays, and the end-of-period exception.
8 min
What a 78 rpm record can tell you
Read a 78 rpm record through its object data, performance metadata, transfer choices, and rights, with Library of Congress and Smithsonian examples.
8 min
Why popcorn pops: the science inside the kernel
Learn how water vapour, pressure, the pericarp and softened starch turn a popcorn kernel into a flake, with a worked three-kernel example and source links.
7 min
How to read print edition numbers and artist's proofs
Read print fractions such as 12/50 and A/P 3/8, then separate artist's, trial, and printer's proofs using museum collection records.
5 min
Indoor volleyball rotation positions: when players rotate and where they stand
Learn indoor volleyball positions 1 through 6, when a receiving team rotates clockwise, and why players may move after the service hit under current FIVB rules.
8 min
What makes a number prime? Why 1 is not prime
Learn what makes a number prime, why 1 is neither prime nor composite, and how to test a number with factors, a worked example, and the Sieve of Eratosthenes.
7 min
Why leap years skip centuries: the 1900, 2000, 2100 rule
A clear audio guide to the Gregorian leap-year rule, with a worked check of 1900, 2000, and 2100 and a careful comparison with the Julian calendar.
6 min
Why auroras have different colours
How oxygen, nitrogen and altitude shape aurora colours, with NASA and NOAA sources and a worked colour-band example.
7 min
How to read a historical photograph as an audio guide
Read Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother using visible details, its Library of Congress record and a worked audio script.
7 min
Football offside: position and involvement
Explain IFAB offside position, involvement and restart exceptions with a hypothetical pass, for football and soccer learners.
7 min
Why eclipses do not happen every month
A plain explanation of the Moon's five-degree orbital tilt, nodes, eclipse seasons, and the limits of promising local visibility.
4 min
Read a historical newspaper as an audio guide
Read a 1918 U.S. newspaper page carefully by separating its reporting, public health message, advertising logic, and later archive context.
5 min
Cricket follow-on: thresholds and innings order
Explain MCC follow-on thresholds, the lost-first-day rule and innings results, with a worked hypothetical scorecard.
5 min
Percentage points and percent change, explained aloud
Learn to separate percentage-point differences from relative percentage change, with ONS guidance, denominator checks, and computed hypothetical examples.
4 min
Low Earth or geostationary? A listener's guide to satellite orbits
Learn how altitude, orbit period, coverage, and mission purpose separate low Earth orbit from geostationary orbit.
4 min
How to read an old map before you tell its story
Use a historical map's date, orientation, legend, scale, and archive record to separate what it shows from what it cannot prove.
4 min
Tennis tie-break scoring and serving: an audio guide
Follow tennis tie-break points, serving rotation, change of ends and announced tournament format exceptions using the 2026 ITF Rules of Tennis.
4 min
Mean or median? An audio explanation with a worked dataset
Choose mean or median by asking whether the total or a typical observation matters, then work through a concrete delivery-time dataset.
4 min
An audio guide to NASA's October 2026 skywatching dates
Plan a skywatching audio guide from NASA's October 2026 dates, then check local rise times, horizon and weather for a named US or UK location.
5 min
Rugby union points: a guide for an audio match recap
Explain rugby union tries, conversions, penalty goals and drop goals using World Rugby Law 8, with clearly labelled hypothetical score calculations.
4 min
Explain a chart aloud without losing its denominator
Turn a chart into a spoken explanation by naming the denominator, categories and units first. Worked USGS example separates total water from freshwater.
4 min
Read a baseball box score, then write an audio recap
Read runs, hits, errors and innings pitched, then draft a sourced baseball recap. Includes a clearly labelled hypothetical box score.
4 min
Build a three-part listening syllabus from a public lecture
Plan three audio episodes from one public lecture, with different questions, source passages and listening lengths. Worked MIT OpenCourseWare example.
4 min
Should you hear an email word for word or make an audio briefing?
Choose between iPhone read-aloud and a question-led audio briefing. Understand source selection, Gmail's published scope and what still needs checking.
6 min
NASA Crew-13: how launch, rendezvous, docking, and crew rotation fit together
A dated guide to the NASA Crew-13 mission terms, from Falcon 9 liftoff and Dragon rendezvous to station docking and crew handover.
5 min
Juice's Earth flyby: how a gravity assist changes a spacecraft's path
A plain-language explanation of ESA Juice's Sept. 28, 2026 Earth gravity assist, including reference frames, orbital energy, and mission planning.
4 min
A World Space Week audio project for one rocket question
Use World Space Week 2026's Rocket Revolution theme to build a source-led audio explainer about how a first stage returns and flies again.
5 min
A World Teachers’ Day audio lesson plan for 2026
Prepare one short, source-checked audio explanation and one discussion question for World Teachers’ Day without handing lesson judgment to an AI tool.
4 min
ADHD body doubling with audio: what is known and how to try it
What body doubling is, what the limited research shows, and how adults with ADHD can use audio company to start tasks, switch, keep time, and do chores.
7 min
Brown noise vs. pink noise for ADHD: what the evidence supports
How noise colors differ, what white-noise studies actually tested, and why those findings do not establish a brown- or pink-noise treatment for ADHD.
4 min
Quieter audio for sensory overload, misophonia and hyperacusis
How to ask for quieter, predictable audio when sounds overwhelm you, and what research says about misophonia, hyperacusis and sensory overload.
7 min
Micro-breaks between meetings: what the research supports
Short breaks lift energy a little but not performance on hard tasks. How to set up a listening break between meetings that stays a break.
7 min
Story routines for young children: bedtime, car trips, play
How to fit audio stories into bedtime, car trips, and independent play, and what listening does and does not do for a young child's language.
7 min
Audio explanations or flashcards? When each helps you learn
Listening explains how ideas connect; flashcards test what you recall. How to alternate them, use audio in a new language, and review your own notes.
7 min
What to listen to while cooking, commuting, or doing chores
Choose an episode by the time you have, the attention your task needs, and how easily you can pause.
5 min
Music or podcasts for a workout? What the evidence says
Compare enjoyment, perceived effort, and rhythm before choosing music or spoken audio for a workout.
5 min
Personalized bedtime stories or familiar fiction: choosing wind-down audio
Choose the subject, tone, and length of a wind-down story without treating personalization as a proven sleep treatment.
5 min
Do podcasts help you focus while working?
What reading research says about background speech, when narration can distract, and how to choose audio for the task.
5 min
Audio news briefing vs. news podcast: which fits your day?
Compare short headline briefings and deeper news podcasts, with examples and a way to choose for your commute or morning routine.
9 min
Listening vs. reading a long article: when each works best
Choose audio for access and momentum, text for scanning and verification, or both when the article demands it.
10 min