https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ Free lessons and tool guides — knowledge shouldn't sit behind a paywall. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-two-word-business-names-are-actually-in-the-hat/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-two-word-business-names-are-actually-in-the-hat/ 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A name generator built from a prefix list and a suffix list is just a grid — multiply the two list sizes and that's every combination it can ever produce. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-odds-of-a-coin-flip-streak/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-odds-of-a-coin-flip-streak/ 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A fair coin has no memory, so each flip is still 50/50 no matter what came before — but a run of several flips in a row is a different, much rarer question, and here's the exact arithmetic. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-digits-should-a-pin-actually-have/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-digits-should-a-pin-actually-have/ 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A PIN's strength is just 10 raised to the digit count — here's the exact combination count and bit figure for each length, and why going from 4 to 6 digits matters more than it sounds. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-a-random-pick-from-a-list-actually-fair/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-a-random-pick-from-a-list-actually-fair/ 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fair means every item has the same 1-in-N chance — here's how to check that arithmetic yourself, and the real odds behind picking the same thing twice in a row. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-bits-is-your-passphrase-actually-worth/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-bits-is-your-passphrase-actually-worth/ 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A passphrase's strength is just word-count times bits-per-word, plus whatever's on the end — here's the arithmetic, worked on a real 2048-word list. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-bits-is-a-hex-api-key-actually/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-bits-is-a-hex-api-key-actually/ 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT An API key's strength is just its length times 4 bits per hex character — here's why that number is exact, and what length actually buys you. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-x-card-still-shows-the-wrong-image-even-after-open-graph/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-x-card-still-shows-the-wrong-image-even-after-open-graph/ 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT X reads its own twitter: tags first and only falls back to Open Graph if they're missing — here's the fallback order and how to check which tags actually won. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-skipped-survey-question-is-not-a-no-and-how-to-count-it-right/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-skipped-survey-question-is-not-a-no-and-how-to-count-it-right/ 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every percentage in a survey tally has to state the number it was taken over, because people skip questions — and the base changes question to question. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-link-preview-looks-wrong-and-how-open-graph-tags-fix-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-link-preview-looks-wrong-and-how-open-graph-tags-fix-it/ 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack don't render your page when you paste a link — they read four meta tags. Here's what each one does and the size that actually fits. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-robots-txt-file-actually-tells-a-crawler/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-robots-txt-file-actually-tells-a-crawler/ 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT It's a request, not a lock — three lines of syntax, one honest limitation, and the one rule that trips people up. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-group-and-average-rows-by-hand-before-you-write-sql/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-group-and-average-rows-by-hand-before-you-write-sql/ 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT GROUP BY just sorts rows into buckets and runs one function per bucket — do it with a pencil once and the SQL stops looking like magic. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/turning-a-column-of-numbers-into-a-kpi-card-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/turning-a-column-of-numbers-into-a-kpi-card-by-hand/ 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A KPI card is four numbers — sum, average, min and max — computed over one column; do the arithmetic once and a dashboard stops feeling like a black box. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-nested-json-by-counting-brackets/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-nested-json-by-counting-brackets/ 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Pretty-printing JSON is just re-indenting by bracket depth — count the opens and closes as you go, and a tangled one-liner turns into a readable tree. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-utm-parameters-actually-do-to-a-link/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-utm-parameters-actually-do-to-a-link/ 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A tracking link is the same URL plus three query parameters appended with the right separator — the method is one rule about when to use ? and when to use &. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-bulk-rename-needs-a-plan-before-a-script/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-bulk-rename-needs-a-plan-before-a-script/ 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Renaming hundreds of files by a template is one substitution repeated many times — but skip the collision check and two different files can land on the same new name. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-a-calendar-date-to-a-unix-timestamp-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-a-calendar-date-to-a-unix-timestamp-by-hand/ 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A date is a day count in disguise — count the days since 1 January 1970, multiply by 86,400, and you have the same number the tool prints. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/eight-ways-to-case-a-string-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/eight-ways-to-case-a-string-by-hand/ 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT UPPERCASE, snake_case, kebab-case, camelCase and the rest are all the same two steps — split into words, then rejoin with different punctuation and capitalization. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-long-will-the-browser-take-to-read-that-aloud/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-long-will-the-browser-take-to-read-that-aloud/ 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Speech is roughly 130–170 words per minute, so dividing a word count by a speaking rate gives an honest estimate before you hit play. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/counting-the-days-to-a-date-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/counting-the-days-to-a-date-by-hand/ 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT No calendar app needed — subtracting serial day numbers (or adding up the days left in each month) gets you the same answer as a countdown timer. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/counting-words-and-reading-time-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/counting-words-and-reading-time-by-hand/ 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Word count, character count and the 200-words-per-minute reading-time estimate are three small counts and one division — here's how to do all of it without pasting anything into a tool. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimating-a-due-date-by-hand-naegeles-rule/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimating-a-due-date-by-hand-naegeles-rule/ 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Add 280 days to the first day of the last period and you have the standard estimate — here's the arithmetic, a worked example, and why only about 1 in 20 babies actually arrive on that exact day. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/formatting-text-for-easier-decoding-what-actually-changes/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/formatting-text-for-easier-decoding-what-actually-changes/ 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Wider spacing, one sentence per line, cautious syllable marks — a look at what a decoding-focused reformat actually does to a page of text, and what it deliberately leaves alone. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/habit-stacking-by-hand-splitting-minutes-across-a-routine/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/habit-stacking-by-hand-splitting-minutes-across-a-routine/ 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT "After I brush my teeth, I'll stretch, read and journal" only works if the minutes actually fit — here's the arithmetic for splitting a time budget evenly, remainder and all. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/spreading-weekly-activities-across-seven-days-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/spreading-weekly-activities-across-seven-days-by-hand/ 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Gym three times, study twice, laundry once a week — working out which days get what, and which day ends up with nothing, is arithmetic you can do with a week's grid and a pencil. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/adding-and-subtracting-days-from-a-date-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/adding-and-subtracting-days-from-a-date-by-hand/ 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT "45 days from now" and "60 days before the 20th" are the same calculation in opposite directions — here's the method, plus the one habit (forgetting leap days) that throws it off. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/calculating-hours-worked-from-clock-times-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/calculating-hours-worked-from-clock-times-by-hand/ 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A timesheet is just a subtraction with a break taken out — except when the shift crosses midnight, which is where most hand calculations quietly go wrong. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-long-is-pumped-breast-milk-good-for/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-long-is-pumped-breast-milk-good-for/ 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The shelf life of expressed milk depends on where it's stored and when the clock actually started — which isn't always when you pumped. Here are the CDC limits, worked through by hand. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-water-do-you-actually-need-the-official-guideline/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-water-do-you-actually-need-the-official-guideline/ 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The body that sets US nutrition guidelines publishes an Adequate Intake by life stage — and explicitly refuses to give a per-person ounce formula. Here's the official number, split out by hand, next to the popular rule it doesn't endorse. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/sizing-a-room-air-conditioner-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/sizing-a-room-air-conditioner-by-hand/ 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every portable or window AC listing leads with a BTU number. Here's the rule of thumb behind it, worked by hand, and where to add a safety margin. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/planning-a-staircase-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/planning-a-staircase-by-hand/ 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every comfortable staircase is built around one number: a riser height close to 7.5 inches. Here's how that single target turns a total rise into a step count, an exact riser height, and a run length — worked by hand. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimate-your-fertile-window-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimate-your-fertile-window-by-hand/ 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ovulation tracking apps all run the same back-of-the-envelope rule: count back 14 days from your next expected period. Here's the arithmetic, with a worked example. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-blood-alcohol-estimate-formulas-actually-work/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-blood-alcohol-estimate-formulas-actually-work/ 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Widmark-style formula behind most free BAC calculators is just three numbers and a subtraction. Worth understanding exactly because it is far too crude to make a driving decision on. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-spread-training-days-evenly-across-a-week/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-spread-training-days-evenly-across-a-week/ 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Bunching four workouts into Monday-to-Thursday leaves three rest days stacked at the end. One simple rule spaces any number of days across a week as evenly as seven days allow. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-water-should-you-drink-the-body-weight-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-water-should-you-drink-the-body-weight-math/ 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT "Drink eight glasses a day" ignores that a 60 kg adult and a 100 kg adult don't need the same amount. A single per-kilogram multiplier gets you a number scaled to you. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-find-your-bedtime-from-sleep-cycles/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-find-your-bedtime-from-sleep-cycles/ 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Waking mid-cycle is what makes mornings feel rough, not the total hours slept. Count backward in 90-minute blocks from your alarm and you can pick a bedtime that lands you at the end of one instead. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-frequency-hertz-kilohertz-megahertz-and-rpm/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-frequency-hertz-kilohertz-megahertz-and-rpm/ 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A CPU spec, a radio dial and a spinning hard drive all measure frequency, but in units separated by factors of a thousand — or by a completely different unit, RPM, that still reduces to the same hertz. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-energy-between-joules-calories-and-kwh/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-energy-between-joules-calories-and-kwh/ 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A food label, a physics textbook and an electricity bill all measure the same thing — energy — in three different units. One multiplication gets you between any of them. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-watts-is-a-horsepower-converting-power-units/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-many-watts-is-a-horsepower-converting-power-units/ 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Car engines, microwaves and air conditioners all measure power — the rate energy moves — but in three incompatible units. Here's the arithmetic that connects them. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-numbers-between-decimal-binary-hex-and-octal/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-numbers-between-decimal-binary-hex-and-octal/ 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Computers count in base 2 and programmers shorthand it in base 16 — the divide-and-remainder method gets you between any two bases by hand. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-numbers-to-and-from-roman-numerals/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-convert-numbers-to-and-from-roman-numerals/ 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Roman numerals aren't positional like decimal digits — they're built from seven symbols and a subtraction rule, and that rule is the whole trick. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-100mbps-internet-downloads-at-12-5-mbs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-100mbps-internet-downloads-at-12-5-mbs/ 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your ISP sells speed in bits per second; your download bar shows bytes per second. One division by 8 explains the gap. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-1tb-drive-shows-up-as-931gb/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-your-1tb-drive-shows-up-as-931gb/ 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Drive makers count in decimal terabytes; your operating system counts in binary tebibytes. Neither number is wrong — they're just not the same unit. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-pressure-psi-bar-and-atmospheres-one-multiplication/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-pressure-psi-bar-and-atmospheres-one-multiplication/ 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Tire gauges, weather reports and dive tables all use different pressure units — one multiplication through pascals connects any two of them. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-time-seconds-minutes-hours-and-days-one-division/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-time-seconds-minutes-hours-and-days-one-division/ 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every time unit is a fixed multiple of one second — the only decision is which multiple, and the only risk is a definition of "year" nobody agreed on. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-speed-mph-kmh-and-ms-one-multiplication/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-speed-mph-kmh-and-ms-one-multiplication/ 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every speed conversion is the same move — multiply by how many of the target unit fit in one of the source unit. Three constants cover almost every real case. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-volume-liters-gallons-cups-and-ml/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-volume-liters-gallons-cups-and-ml/ 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every volume unit is a fixed multiple of one liter — once you know the multiple, converting any amount is a single multiplication or division. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/treasurers-report-by-hand-the-statement-and-the-reconciliation/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/treasurers-report-by-hand-the-statement-and-the-reconciliation/ 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Reading the money out to a committee means two separate checks — does income minus expenditure explain the change in balance, and does that match what the bank says. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mail-merge-by-hand-one-template-many-finished-letters/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mail-merge-by-hand-one-template-many-finished-letters/ 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Mail merge is just find-and-replace repeated once per row of data — the only rule that matters is what happens when a row is missing a value. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/acres-to-square-feet-comparing-two-lot-listings-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/acres-to-square-feet-comparing-two-lot-listings-by-hand/ 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT One listing gives the lot in acres, another in square feet — they can't be compared until they're in the same unit, and the conversion is one multiplication or division away. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/degrees-to-radians-the-conversion-behind-a-roof-pitch-angle/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/degrees-to-radians-the-conversion-behind-a-roof-pitch-angle/ 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most tools and specs give angles in degrees, but the math behind CAD, trigonometry and many calculators runs in radians — the conversion is one multiplication by a fixed constant. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bmr-vs-tdee-mifflin-st-jeor-by-hand/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bmr-vs-tdee-mifflin-st-jeor-by-hand/ 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT BMR is what your body burns lying still; TDEE scales that up for the life you actually live — and the whole calculation is five multiplications you can do on paper. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/macro-split-from-calories-to-grams/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/macro-split-from-calories-to-grams/ 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Once you have a daily calorie number, splitting it into protein, carb and fat grams is four multiplications and two divisions — the same math whichever percentages you pick. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fifo-vs-lifo-cost-basis-same-sale-different-gain/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fifo-vs-lifo-cost-basis-same-sale-different-gain/ 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Which lots a sale is matched against changes the realized gain and can flip a sale between short-term and long-term — the shares sold never change, only which ones you say they were. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/refinancing-a-shorter-loan-into-a-longer-one-the-lifetime-interest-check/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/refinancing-a-shorter-loan-into-a-longer-one-the-lifetime-interest-check/ 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A lower rate on a longer remaining term almost always lowers the monthly payment — it doesn't always lower what you pay in total, and the two numbers can point in opposite directions on the same refinance. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/wash-sale-rule-the-61-day-window-and-the-partial-match-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/wash-sale-rule-the-61-day-window-and-the-partial-match-math/ 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A loss sale is worth reviewing for a wash sale if you bought the same symbol anywhere from 30 days before to 30 days after — and a partial repurchase only flags a proportional slice of the loss. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-an-arm-actually-resets-the-three-caps-in-order/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-an-arm-actually-resets-the-three-caps-in-order/ 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT An adjustable-rate mortgage doesn't reset to whatever the index says — it resets to whatever survives the initial cap or periodic cap, and then the lifetime cap on top, applied in that order. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/earthwork-cut-and-fill-the-average-end-area-method/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/earthwork-cut-and-fill-the-average-end-area-method/ 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Estimating how much dirt a trench or grading job moves comes down to two cross-section areas, a distance, and a swell allowance — here's the formula and a worked run. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pricing-a-powder-coating-job-the-real-cost-per-part/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pricing-a-powder-coating-job-the-real-cost-per-part/ 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A powder-coat quote is coating material plus labour plus setup, scaled for waste and marked up to a margin — skip a line and you're coating for free. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/should-you-pay-points-on-a-mortgage-the-break-even-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/should-you-pay-points-on-a-mortgage-the-break-even-math/ 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Paying upfront points for a lower rate only wins if you keep the loan past the break-even month — two payment formulas and one division answer it for your own numbers. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-car-really-costs-total-ownership-not-the-sticker-price/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-car-really-costs-total-ownership-not-the-sticker-price/ 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT The cheaper car on paper can cost more to own once depreciation, finance interest, insurance, fuel and servicing are added up — here's the arithmetic that catches it before you sign. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-chasing-a-lapsed-customer-worth-it-the-win-back-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-chasing-a-lapsed-customer-worth-it-the-win-back-math/ 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A win-back campaign is only worth running if the profit that customer represents beats what the campaign costs to send — five numbers and two multiplications settle it either way. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-length-units-the-method-behind-meters-miles-and-feet/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/converting-length-units-the-method-behind-meters-miles-and-feet/ 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every length conversion is one multiplication once you know a unit's factor in meters — the trick is picking exact factors, not rounded ones, so the answer doesn't quietly drift. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/comparing-two-loan-offers-total-cost-beats-monthly-payment/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/comparing-two-loan-offers-total-cost-beats-monthly-payment/ 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT The offer with the lower monthly payment can still cost more overall once you multiply by the term and add the fees — the fix is one formula and a habit of comparing totals, not payments. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/home-insurance-coinsurance-what-being-underinsured-actually-costs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/home-insurance-coinsurance-what-being-underinsured-actually-costs/ 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A property policy can cut a claim payout — not just cap it — if you're insured below the coinsurance percentage the policy requires, and checking is one formula you can run before a loss happens. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-paint-you-need-the-gallons-and-labor-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-paint-you-need-the-gallons-and-labor-math/ 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Paint coverage on the can only tells you gallons per coat — multiply by coats, divide by coverage, round up to a whole can, then add labor for the real total. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bankruptcy-exemptions-what-property-you-actually-keep/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bankruptcy-exemptions-what-property-you-actually-keep/ 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Federal law protects a set dollar amount of home equity, a vehicle, household goods and more in bankruptcy — and a wildcard exemption that grows the less home equity you have. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/arm-payment-shock-what-your-mortgage-payment-becomes-at-reset/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/arm-payment-shock-what-your-mortgage-payment-becomes-at-reset/ 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT An adjustable-rate mortgage doesn't just change its rate at reset — it re-amortizes the whole remaining balance at that rate, which is why a modest rate move can turn into a much bigger payment jump. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/factorial-the-multiplication-behind-every-possible-order/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/factorial-the-multiplication-behind-every-possible-order/ 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT n! multiplies every whole number from n down to 1, and it answers a simple question — how many ways can these things be arranged — that shows up in probability, lottery odds and combinatorics. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/logarithms-the-one-formula-behind-ph-decibels-and-bits/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/logarithms-the-one-formula-behind-ph-decibels-and-bits/ 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A logarithm just asks “what power gets me here” — pH, decibel and bit-count problems all reduce to that one question, and the change-of-base rule handles any base a calculator doesn't have a button for. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/line-slope-the-formula-behind-ramps-roofs-and-road-grade/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/line-slope-the-formula-behind-ramps-roofs-and-road-grade/ 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Slope is just rise over run — but from two points you also get the angle and the y-intercept for free, and a wheelchair ramp, a roof pitch and a road survey all use the same three numbers. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/volume-of-shapes-four-formulas-for-box-cylinder-sphere-and-cone/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/volume-of-shapes-four-formulas-for-box-cylinder-sphere-and-cone/ 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every volume formula here reduces to the same idea — base area times height, adjusted for the shape — and a shipping box worked two ways is the fastest way to see why the adjustment matters. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/powers-and-roots-the-same-formula-running-both-directions/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/powers-and-roots-the-same-formula-running-both-directions/ 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT An exponent says multiply a number by itself repeatedly; a root undoes that — and a fractional exponent is both operations at once, which is worth being able to do on paper before trusting a calculator's display. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/permutations-vs-combinations-when-order-actually-matters/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/permutations-vs-combinations-when-order-actually-matters/ 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Both count ways to pick r items from n, but one counts arrangements and the other counts selections — and mixing them up is the most common mistake in a probability class. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/density-identifying-a-material-from-mass-and-volume/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/density-identifying-a-material-from-mass-and-volume/ 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Density is mass divided by volume, and it needs nothing but a scale and a way to measure volume to check what something is made of, whether it floats, or how concentrated a mix really is. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/currency-conversion-the-math-behind-the-rate/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/currency-conversion-the-math-behind-the-rate/ 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Converting money at a rate you already have is one multiplication — the skill worth learning is which direction the rate points. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/area-of-basic-shapes-four-formulas-worth-memorizing/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/area-of-basic-shapes-four-formulas-worth-memorizing/ 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four shapes, four formulas — width × height, half base × height, πr², and (a+b)/2 × height cover nearly every flat surface you'll ever need to measure. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ratio-simplifier-the-gcd-trick-behind-every-clean-mix/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ratio-simplifier-the-gcd-trick-behind-every-clean-mix/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A ratio simplifies to its lowest terms the same way a fraction does — divide both sides by their greatest common divisor. One division rule, endless uses. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/distance-between-two-points-the-pythagorean-formula-off-the-page/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/distance-between-two-points-the-pythagorean-formula-off-the-page/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two coordinates and one formula — the straight-line distance between any two points is just the Pythagorean theorem applied to their x and y gaps. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/speed-distance-time-the-one-division-behind-every-eta/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/speed-distance-time-the-one-division-behind-every-eta/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Time = distance ÷ speed. The division is the easy half — the half people get wrong is turning the decimal answer into hours and minutes. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fraction-to-decimal-the-division-hiding-in-every-fraction/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fraction-to-decimal-the-division-hiding-in-every-fraction/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A fraction is a division that hasn't been done yet — 3/8 means 3 ÷ 8. Doing it is what makes two fractions comparable at a glance. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ohms-law-two-formulas-that-size-almost-any-small-circuit/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ohms-law-two-formulas-that-size-almost-any-small-circuit/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Resistance = V ÷ I and power = V × I. Between them they answer most hobby wiring questions — provided you feed in the voltage across the part, not the supply. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/gcd-and-lcm-the-two-numbers-that-simplify-and-synchronise/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/gcd-and-lcm-the-two-numbers-that-simplify-and-synchronise/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT The greatest common divisor reduces a fraction to its simplest form; the least common multiple tells you when two repeating cycles next coincide. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-quadratic-formula-and-what-the-discriminant-tells-you/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-quadratic-formula-and-what-the-discriminant-tells-you/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT One formula solves every quadratic. The part under the square root answers a question first: how many real solutions are there at all? https://theggnetwork.com/blog/prime-checker-why-you-only-divide-up-to-the-square-root/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/prime-checker-why-you-only-divide-up-to-the-square-root/ 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Testing whether a number is prime looks like it needs a lot of division. It needs far less than people expect — and the reason why is a neat piece of logic. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/avalanche-vs-snowball-what-the-payoff-order-actually-costs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/avalanche-vs-snowball-what-the-payoff-order-actually-costs/ 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT With one fixed amount and several debts, the order you attack them in changes the total interest — run the same numbers both ways and the gap is a real, calculable dollar figure, not a guess. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/sales-commission-the-one-line-formula-behind-getting-paid-on-results/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/sales-commission-the-one-line-formula-behind-getting-paid-on-results/ 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT Commission = sale amount × rate ÷ 100 — one multiplication, but worth checking by hand before you trust a statement, a quote, or your own mental math on a big sale. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/present-value-what-future-money-is-worth-today/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/present-value-what-future-money-is-worth-today/ 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A dollar later is worth less than a dollar now — present value puts a number on the gap. Three worked comparisons, including two $20,000 payouts that are worth almost $5,000 apart. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/markup-to-price-how-a-markup-percent-sets-your-price/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/markup-to-price-how-a-markup-percent-sets-your-price/ 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Price = cost × (1 + markup ÷ 100) — one multiplication, but a 100% markup only ever gives a 50% margin, not 100%. Three worked examples, including pricing a full batch. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-second-income-really-nets-after-childcare-and-commute/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-second-income-really-nets-after-childcare-and-commute/ 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A second job's gross pay isn't what it leaves you — tax, childcare, travel and work costs all come out first. One worked example nets a $28,000 offer down to $934 a month. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/cost-per-use-the-math-behind-buy-it-for-life/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/cost-per-use-the-math-behind-buy-it-for-life/ 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Price alone doesn't say whether something is worth buying — price divided by how many times you'll actually use it does. Three worked comparisons, including why the pricier pair of shoes can be the cheaper choice. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/margin-vs-markup-why-the-same-profit-gives-two-numbers/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/margin-vs-markup-why-the-same-profit-gives-two-numbers/ 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Profit ÷ price is margin; profit ÷ cost is markup — the same $40 profit reads as 40% one way and 66.67% the other. Three worked comparisons show where the mix-up actually costs money. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/cagr-the-annualized-rate-that-makes-returns-comparable/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/cagr-the-annualized-rate-that-makes-returns-comparable/ 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT CAGR turns any total return into a steady annual rate, so a 3-year gain and a 6-year gain can be compared honestly — the bigger headline number isn't always the better one. Three worked comparisons show why. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/break-even-how-many-units-it-actually-takes-to-cover-fixed-costs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/break-even-how-many-units-it-actually-takes-to-cover-fixed-costs/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Units = fixed costs ÷ (price − cost per unit) — one division, but the margin in that denominator can move the answer by thousands of units. Three worked pricing scenarios with the arithmetic shown. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/savings-goal-how-long-it-actually-takes-with-interest/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/savings-goal-how-long-it-actually-takes-with-interest/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Balance next month = balance × (1 + monthly rate) + contribution — run it forward until you hit the goal. Three worked timelines show what compounding is actually worth, in months. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/inflation-what-a-fixed-price-actually-costs-you-later/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/inflation-what-a-fixed-price-actually-costs-you-later/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Future cost = amount × (1 + rate)^years — one formula, but the rate you assume moves the answer more than the years do. Three worked projections with the arithmetic shown. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fire-number-the-25x-rule-for-how-much-you-need-to-retire/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fire-number-the-25x-rule-for-how-much-you-need-to-retire/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT FIRE number = annual spending × 25 — the inverse of the 4% withdrawal rule, in one multiplication. Three worked spending levels, and what cutting spending actually does to the target. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/overtime-pay-what-time-and-a-half-actually-adds-up-to/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/overtime-pay-what-time-and-a-half-actually-adds-up-to/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Gross = rate × regular hours + rate × multiplier × overtime hours — one formula, but the multiplier alone can swing a week's pay by real money. Two worked weeks, with the arithmetic shown. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/unit-price-how-to-actually-find-the-better-deal/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/unit-price-how-to-actually-find-the-better-deal/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The bigger package isn't automatically the better price — dividing price by quantity is the only way to know for sure. Three worked comparisons, including one where the "value" size loses. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/net-worth-the-one-number-that-actually-tracks-progress/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/net-worth-the-one-number-that-actually-tracks-progress/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Assets minus liabilities — one subtraction — but it's the only number that tells you whether you're actually getting ahead. Two starting snapshots and a year-later check-in, all with real arithmetic. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/roi-why-percent-return-beats-dollar-profit/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/roi-why-percent-return-beats-dollar-profit/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The bigger dollar profit isn't always the better deal — return on investment puts two different-sized bets on the same footing. The formula, a side-by-side comparison, and what a loss looks like in the same math. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/apr-vs-apy-what-compounding-actually-costs-you/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/apr-vs-apy-what-compounding-actually-costs-you/ 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The same stated rate produces a different real number depending on how often it compounds. Here's the formula, two worked examples — a savings account and a credit card — and why the gap matters more than the sticker rate. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/emergency-fund-how-many-months-you-actually-need/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/emergency-fund-how-many-months-you-actually-need/ 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The target is one multiplication — essential monthly expenses times months of cushion — but the months figure is where the real decision lives. Here's the formula and two worked examples showing how much that choice moves the target. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/simple-interest-the-flat-rate-loan-math/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/simple-interest-the-flat-rate-loan-math/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Not every loan compounds. Here's the formula behind flat-rate interest, a real worked example, and exactly how many dollars compounding would have added to the same loan. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rent-affordability-the-30-percent-rule-explained/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rent-affordability-the-30-percent-rule-explained/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One guideline decides the rent ceiling most apartment hunts start from: no more than 30% of gross income. Here's the formula, a real example, and why it doesn't know about your other debts. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/debt-to-income-ratio-what-lenders-actually-see/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/debt-to-income-ratio-what-lenders-actually-see/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One ratio decides whether a mortgage application clears the first hurdle, often before your credit score gets a look. Here's the formula, the bands lenders use, and how a single new car payment can flip “Good” to “Caution”. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/salary-to-hourly-what-unpaid-overtime-really-costs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/salary-to-hourly-what-unpaid-overtime-really-costs/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A salary quotes one number a year, but the hourly rate behind it depends entirely on how many hours you actually work — and for exempt employees, extra hours are a hidden pay cut, not overtime pay. Here's the math, and how to compare two offers fairly. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mortgage-piti-the-real-monthly-payment/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mortgage-piti-the-real-monthly-payment/ 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A rate quote leads with principal and interest, but the number that actually leaves your account every month has two more pieces bolted on. Here's the formula, a real example, and what a smaller down payment costs you. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/credit-card-payoff-how-long-it-actually-takes/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/credit-card-payoff-how-long-it-actually-takes/ 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A fixed $150 a month sounds like progress until you run it against a 22% APR. Here's the payoff math, a real example, and why doubling the payment does more than double the speed. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/hourly-wage-to-salary-and-back/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/hourly-wage-to-salary-and-back/ 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Comparing a $32/hour contract to a $72,000 salaried offer isn't obvious until both are in the same units. Here's the formula both directions, and the “weeks per year” trap that quietly favors one offer over the other. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/50-30-20-budget-rule-run-the-numbers/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/50-30-20-budget-rule-run-the-numbers/ 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fifty percent needs, thirty percent wants, twenty percent savings: the ratio is famous, but most people never actually do the division. Here's the math on real take-home pay, including what to do when “needs” won't fit in 50%. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-loan-amortization-actually-works/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-loan-amortization-actually-works/ 02 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your first mortgage payments are mostly interest, and that isn't a bank trick — it's arithmetic. Here's the formula, a real worked example, and the one move that actually shortens a loan. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/password-strength-is-length-not-symbols/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/password-strength-is-length-not-symbols/ 02 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An 8-character password with symbols falls in seconds. A 16-character one holds for ages. Entropy is just counting — here's how to do it, and what actually protects your accounts. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/free-hardened-cloudflare-pages-hosting/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/free-hardened-cloudflare-pages-hosting/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT If you own a domain, you can host a static site for free on Cloudflare Pages. Here's how to do it and harden it so it isn't soft — with five free WAF rules that stay effective even in public. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percentages-in-your-head/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percentages-in-your-head/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A percent is just “per hundred.” Learn the one rule and three shortcuts, and most percentage problems become mental math. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rule-of-72-doubling-money/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rule-of-72-doubling-money/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT One division tells you how long money takes to double. Here's why it works — and the big lesson about rates hiding inside it. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/compound-interest-start-early/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/compound-interest-start-early/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your interest earns interest. That one twist is why a ten-year head start can out-run thirty years of saving that began late. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-your-pdf-actually-encrypted/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/is-your-pdf-actually-encrypted/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT “Password-protected” and “properly encrypted” aren't the same thing. Here's what really makes a PDF secure — and how to verify it privately. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/soc2-readiness-self-check/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/soc2-readiness-self-check/ 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT SOC 2 is really one question repeated: for each control, can you prove it's happening? Here's how to score yourself before an auditor does. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/231-free-tools-that-work-offline/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/231-free-tools-that-work-offline/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT No account, no ads, no trackers, no upload. Here is how the whole thing fits together — and why the free half is genuinely free. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-paperwork-that-gets-freelancers-paid/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-paperwork-that-gets-freelancers-paid/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most late payments are a documentation problem, not a difficult client. Here is the short list of documents that prevent them. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/security-deposit-statement-most-landlords-get-wrong/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/security-deposit-statement-most-landlords-get-wrong/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Miss the deadline or skip the itemisation and you can forfeit the right to deduct anything — sometimes with a penalty on top. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-document-your-family-will-need/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-document-your-family-will-need/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Not a will. An inventory — every account, policy and where the paperwork actually lives. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-mileage-log-that-survives-questioning/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-mileage-log-that-survives-questioning/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What makes a mileage claim stand up is not the total. It is that the log was kept at the time and says why. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/your-compliance-binder-is-only-as-good-as-the-log/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/your-compliance-binder-is-only-as-good-as-the-log/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Boiler, backflow, elevator, scale, grease trap — the inspector asks for the record, not your memory. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-hail-inspection-documents/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-hail-inspection-documents/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Test squares, slope by slope, and the soft metals nobody photographs. The report is the claim. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-journal-entry-testing-looks-for/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-journal-entry-testing-looks-for/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Not a detection engine — a documented set of risk-based criteria, and the record of what you examined. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/before-you-file-organise-it-first/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/before-you-file-organise-it-first/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Expungement, unpaid wages, a protective order. None of these start with a form — they start with organising what happened. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-an-eob/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-an-eob/ 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An Explanation of Benefits is not a bill. Comparing it to the itemised bill is where the errors show up. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-one-page-profile-for-someone-who-cannot-explain/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-one-page-profile-for-someone-who-cannot-explain/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to write the sheet a stranger reads in thirty seconds — and why the good ones hold no numbers. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-build-a-communication-board-people-actually-use/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-build-a-communication-board-people-actually-use/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Choosing the words, sizing the cells, and why a photo of the actual cup beats a drawing of a cup. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/orientation-cards-that-tell-and-never-test/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/orientation-cards-that-tell-and-never-test/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Large-print day signs, people cards and door labels — and the one wording rule that decides whether they help. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/turn-a-pile-of-medical-notes-into-one-page/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/turn-a-pile-of-medical-notes-into-one-page/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Years of letters, three diaries and fifteen minutes with a new specialist. The fix is structure, not recall. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/decide-your-three-questions-before-the-appointment/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/decide-your-three-questions-before-the-appointment/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A short appointment ends where your list runs out of time. Choosing which three must be answered is the work. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/who-to-notify-when-someone-dies/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/who-to-notify-when-someone-dies/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The list is longer than anyone expects and it is usually kept in one person's head. Here is how to turn it into a document. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-household-emergency-plan-nobody-writes-down/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-household-emergency-plan-nobody-writes-down/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Where we meet, who we all ring, where the shut-offs are, what is in the bag. Four things, decided while everything is calm. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-walk-round-the-house-for-hazards-you-can-point-at/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-walk-round-the-house-for-hazards-you-can-point-at/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Look at the building, not the person. Then order the fixes by where they are and how easy they are — free jobs first. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/moving-house-is-a-countdown-not-a-to-do-list/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/moving-house-is-a-countdown-not-a-to-do-list/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fix the date, then work backwards. The paperwork sets the timetable — the removal firm only fills it in. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pack-for-a-wash-cycle-not-the-whole-trip/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pack-for-a-wash-cycle-not-the-whole-trip/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One question decides whether you need a suitcase or a carry-on, and it is not how long you are going for. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-chore-chart-rotation-and-the-arithmetic-behind-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-chore-chart-rotation-and-the-arithmetic-behind-it/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A chore chart is two calculations: who does what this week, and what it all adds up to. Both are easy to get wrong by hand. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/plan-revision-backwards-from-the-deadline/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/plan-revision-backwards-from-the-deadline/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The deadline is fixed and the hours are not negotiable either. Everything else is division — and the remainder is where plans usually break. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-chore-rota-that-is-even-and-how-to-check-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-chore-rota-that-is-even-and-how-to-check-it/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fairness in a rota is not a feeling. It is a count, and you can prove it before anyone complains. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/one-week-of-meals-one-shopping-list/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/one-week-of-meals-one-shopping-list/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Turning a meal plan into a shopping list is a merge. The interesting part is knowing which lines you are allowed to merge. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-arithmetic-in-a-homeschool-transcript/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-arithmetic-in-a-homeschool-transcript/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A GPA is credit-weighted, and averaging the grade points instead gives a different number. Here is the sum, done twice, so you can see the gap. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-handover-sheet-a-pet-sitter-actually-needs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-handover-sheet-a-pet-sitter-actually-needs/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everything you know about your animals is in your head, and the person taking over knows none of it. What to write down — and the one thing a sheet like this should refuse to print. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pet-years-why-the-seven-to-one-rule-is-wrong/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pet-years-why-the-seven-to-one-rule-is-wrong/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The familiar multiplier spreads a lifetime evenly when almost none of it is even. Here is the three-part conversion most estimates actually use, worked through for a dog and a cat. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-planting-calendar-built-from-your-own-frost-dates/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-planting-calendar-built-from-your-own-frost-dates/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sowing guidance is written relative to frost, not as dates. Supply your own two frost dates and the whole calendar is arithmetic — in any climate and either hemisphere. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-year-of-home-maintenance-on-one-page/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-year-of-home-maintenance-on-one-page/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Household jobs are not forgotten because they are hard — they are forgotten because nothing prompts them in the month they are cheap. Anchor each one to the weather that makes it matter. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/service-due-mileage-or-months-whichever-comes-first/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/service-due-mileage-or-months-whichever-comes-first/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A service schedule has two limits, and the one that governs depends on how much you drive. The four-line calculation, worked through twice with the same car and two different drivers. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/settle-up-who-pays-whom-in-the-fewest-transfers/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/settle-up-who-pays-whom-in-the-fewest-transfers/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Squaring up after a group trip is not everyone paying everyone. Net each person to a single balance, match debtors to creditors, and four people need at most three payments — with the odd penny accounted for. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/splitting-rent-when-the-rooms-are-not-equal/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/splitting-rent-when-the-rooms-are-not-equal/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An equal split ignores the fact that one of you is in a box room. Here is how to divide rent by floor area, by area adjusted for features, or by weights you agree — with every method reconciling to the exact rent. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/event-budget-the-cost-of-one-more-guest/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/event-budget-the-cost-of-one-more-guest/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Some of your costs move with the headcount and some do not. Work out the marginal cost of one guest and your budget stops surprising you — with a worked example at two guest counts. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-your-subscriptions-actually-cost-per-year/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-your-subscriptions-actually-cost-per-year/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A monthly price is the wrong unit for a decision. Convert every subscription to an annual figure on the same scale and the small ones stop hiding — with a fully worked hypothetical list. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-food-and-drink-to-buy-for-a-party/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-much-food-and-drink-to-buy-for-a-party/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Per-head planning arithmetic for a party shopping list — mains, sides, snacks, drinks, ice and tableware. Every rate here is a starting estimate you adjust, not a rule. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-job-hunt-log-that-makes-a-bad-month-legible/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-job-hunt-log-that-makes-a-bad-month-legible/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Thirty applications in, nobody remembers which CV went where. One row per application fixes that — and turns a month that felt like nothing into a month you can count. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/write-the-note-before-you-know-how-it-ends/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/write-the-note-before-you-know-how-it-ends/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A contemporaneous note carries weight precisely because it was written before anyone knew which way the dispute would go. Here is what a row of it has to contain. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/two-job-offers-and-the-arithmetic-nobody-does/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/two-job-offers-and-the-arithmetic-nobody-does/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most people compare two offers by comparing two salaries. Counting the bonus, the pension either way, the benefits, the fare and the hours can reverse the answer. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-260-working-days-was-never-the-number/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-260-working-days-was-never-the-number/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The classic first freelance rate is the old salary halved and divided by 220. The division is fine. The 220 is the mistake. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-late-invoice-is-actually-costing-you/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-late-invoice-is-actually-costing-you/ 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Chasing the invoice total leaves money on the table and makes a weaker ask. The interest arithmetic is simple — the day count and the part-payments are where it goes wrong. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-benefit-cliff-when-a-raise-leaves-you-worse-off/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-benefit-cliff-when-a-raise-leaves-you-worse-off/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Some programs taper as income rises. Others stop dead at a line. Here is the arithmetic of the second kind, worked all the way through. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-premium-is-not-the-price-of-a-health-plan/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-premium-is-not-the-price-of-a-health-plan/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Premium, subsidy and out-of-pocket exposure are three numbers. Change how much care a year needs and the cheapest plan can flip. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-lowest-student-loan-payment-is-not-the-cheapest/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-lowest-student-loan-payment-is-not-the-cheapest/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Monthly payment and total paid are two different questions. Lowering the first almost always raises the second. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/benefits-do-not-add-up-the-way-you-expect/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/benefits-do-not-add-up-the-way-you-expect/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One income, several programs, and none of them count it the same way. How to work out your own picture instead of assuming it. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/duplicate-rows-but-duplicate-by-which-columns/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/duplicate-rows-but-duplicate-by-which-columns/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT De-duplicating is one click. Choosing the key is the whole job — and choosing it wrong deletes real records without a single error message. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/look-at-the-data-before-you-average-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/look-at-the-data-before-you-average-it/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A column that is one-eighth blank changes every average you take from it. Counting the blanks first takes ten seconds and is the difference between a report and a guess. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-quick-sum-without-uploading-the-file/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-quick-sum-without-uploading-the-file/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Pasted rows, a few formulas, an answer — and the data never leaves the tab. Here is how a small in-browser sheet works, and exactly where it stops. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-regex-pieces-that-cover-most-real-jobs/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-regex-pieces-that-cover-most-real-jobs/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four ideas — character classes, anchors, quantifiers, groups — handle most of what people actually need. The rest is testing the pattern on your own data. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/base64-is-not-encryption-and-it-never-was/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/base64-is-not-encryption-and-it-never-was/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT It looks scrambled, so people treat it as though it hides something. It hides nothing — here is a round trip you can check, and what that means for anything you have encoded. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-jwt-payload-is-readable-by-anyone-holding-the-token/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-jwt-payload-is-readable-by-anyone-holding-the-token/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A JSON Web Token is signed, not encrypted. The signature proves nobody altered it — it does not hide a single character of what is inside. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/hashing-is-one-way-and-that-is-the-whole-point/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/hashing-is-one-way-and-that-is-the-whole-point/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT SHA-256 is not encryption and there is no reverse operation. Here is what a hash is genuinely good for, and one job it is the wrong tool for. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-actually-makes-a-passphrase-hard-to-guess/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-actually-makes-a-passphrase-hard-to-guess/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Length and unpredictability, not punctuation theatre. And a strength meter estimates — it does not know. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-cup-of-flour-is-not-a-weight/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-cup-of-flour-is-not-a-weight/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A cup measures space, not mass, and the same cup of flour can hold noticeably different amounts depending on how it was filled. Why the dry conversion is ingredient-specific and can never be one number. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-celsius-and-fahrenheit-need-an-offset/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-celsius-and-fahrenheit-need-an-offset/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two scales that do not share a zero cannot be converted by multiplying. The arithmetic behind the 1.8, the mental shortcut and exactly how wrong it gets, and the one reading where both scales agree. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-actually-changes-when-you-scale-a-recipe/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-actually-changes-when-you-scale-a-recipe/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The ingredients are a straightforward multiplication. The tin and the depth are geometry, and time follows the depth rather than the quantity — which is why doubling is not simply doubling. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/us-and-imperial-units-that-share-a-name/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/us-and-imperial-units-that-share-a-name/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ounces, pints and tons all mean two or three different things depending on which side of the Atlantic wrote them down. The exact definitions, and the differences that are big enough to matter. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percent-change-versus-percentage-points/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percent-change-versus-percentage-points/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A rate moving from 4% to 6% rose 2 percentage points and 50 percent. Both statements are true, they are not interchangeable, and the wrong one gets quoted constantly. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/x-is-what-percent-of-y-and-why-order-matters/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/x-is-what-percent-of-y-and-why-order-matters/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Swap the two numbers and you get a different answer that still looks reasonable. Here is how to tell which number is the whole — and the difference between percent of and percent more than. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percentage-error-and-the-denominator-you-choose/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/percentage-error-and-the-denominator-you-choose/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT How far off was the estimate? The number you divide by decides the answer, and dividing by your own estimate quietly flatters you. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rounding-and-the-invoice-that-is-a-penny-out/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/rounding-and-the-invoice-that-is-a-penny-out/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every line is right, the total is right, and they disagree by a penny. That is rounding doing exactly what it does — plus why half-up and half-even give different answers. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/stacked-discounts-50-off-plus-20-off-is-not-70-off/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/stacked-discounts-50-off-plus-20-off-is-not-70-off/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two discounts applied one after the other multiply, they do not add. “50% off, then an extra 20% off” is 60% off, and here is the arithmetic that shows why — plus the one case where the order really does matter. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/tip-arithmetic-in-your-head-and-uneven-bill-splits/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/tip-arithmetic-in-your-head-and-uneven-bill-splits/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Move the decimal point one place and you have 10%; everything else is halves and doubles of that. Then the harder part — splitting a bill where people ordered very differently, and the pre-tax question, both put to you as choices rather than rules. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pulling-the-tax-out-of-a-tax-inclusive-total/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pulling-the-tax-out-of-a-tax-inclusive-total/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The common error is multiplying the gross figure by the rate. Divide by 1 plus the rate instead — and the wrong method is always too high by exactly the rate, which is why it survives so long unnoticed. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mpg-is-not-a-scale-15-to-20-beats-40-to-50/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mpg-is-not-a-scale-15-to-20-beats-40-to-50/ 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Miles per gallon measures distance per fuel, so equal steps up the mpg number are not equal savings. Over the same distance, going from 15 to 20 mpg saves more than three times the fuel that going from 40 to 50 does. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bmi-was-built-to-describe-populations/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/bmi-was-built-to-describe-populations/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The ratio comes out of 1830s social statistics and picked up its modern name over a century later. Here is the arithmetic and what it contains. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ideal-weight-formulas-were-built-for-drug-dosing/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/ideal-weight-formulas-were-built-for-drug-dosing/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Devine and its successors exist to estimate lean mass so a medication dose can be calculated. They were never validated as targets for a person. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-navy-body-fat-formula-and-its-error-bars/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-navy-body-fat-formula-and-its-error-bars/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A tape measure and a logarithm produce a percentage to six decimal places. Here is the method, and why the precision is not the accuracy. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-plain-ratio-beats-a-fitted-formula/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-plain-ratio-beats-a-fitted-formula/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One division, no constants, no reference table, no population fit. The simplest measure in the set is also the most portable, and that is not a coincidence. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-a-contrast-ratio-is-actually-calculated/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-a-contrast-ratio-is-actually-calculated/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Contrast ratio is a defined calculation over relative luminance, not a judgement call. The gamma correction, the channel weights, and one worked example from two hex codes to a number. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-a-hex-colour-code/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/how-to-read-a-hex-colour-code/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A hex colour is three bytes written in base 16, and once you can read it #1a2b3c stops being opaque. Including why the shorthand #abc expands to #aabbcc and not #0a0b0c. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-an-even-shade-ramp-does-not-look-even/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-an-even-shade-ramp-does-not-look-even/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A tint and shade ramp built by mixing toward white and black in sRGB takes equal steps in the numbers and very unequal steps in perceived lightness. The measurements, on a real nine-step ramp. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-css-gradient-does-between-the-stops/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-css-gradient-does-between-the-stops/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A gradient is one multiplication per channel repeated across a line. Why a gradient between two channel-opposite colours always passes through grey, and what moving a stop really changes. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/four-days-or-five-inclusive-and-exclusive-date-counting/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/four-days-or-five-inclusive-and-exclusive-date-counting/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT How many days from Monday to Friday depends entirely on whether you count both ends. Both answers are correct arithmetic, and the ambiguity is worth naming out loud. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-age-is-not-just-one-date-minus-another/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-age-is-not-just-one-date-minus-another/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An age in years depends on whether the birthday has already happened this year, and one month after 31 January has no single correct answer. Here is how the calculation actually proceeds. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/working-days-depend-on-whose-calendar-you-use/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/working-days-depend-on-whose-calendar-you-use/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Counting weekdays between two dates is exact arithmetic. Deciding which days are the weekend, and which holidays you observe, is not something any date can tell you. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-gap-between-two-clocks-is-not-constant/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-gap-between-two-clocks-is-not-constant/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The difference between two cities' clocks changes during the year, because daylight saving starts and ends on different dates in different places and runs the opposite way south of the equator. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-each-meta-tag-actually-does/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-each-meta-tag-actually-does/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four lines go in your head and they have four different jobs — one of which is nothing. The keywords tag stopped being read by the major search engines many years ago. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/structured-data-describes-the-page-it-sits-on/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/structured-data-describes-the-page-it-sits-on/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT JSON-LD tells a machine what a page is. It does not raise anything by itself — what it can do is make a result eligible for a richer presentation, and only if it matches what a reader can see. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-titles-and-descriptions-get-cut-off/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-titles-and-descriptions-get-cut-off/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The cut-off is a width in pixels, not a count of characters — so a line of wide letters runs out sooner than a line of narrow ones. Front-loading beats hitting a number. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-readability-score-can-and-cannot-see/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-readability-score-can-and-cannot-see/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Flesch counts sentence length and syllables, and calls that difficulty. It is a proxy — a text can score beautifully and still be incomprehensible. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/220-minus-your-age-is-a-rule-of-thumb/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/220-minus-your-age-is-a-rule-of-thumb/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The best-known number in fitness was never a precise result, and people of the same age genuinely differ. What the arithmetic gives you, and what no arithmetic can. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimating-a-one-rep-max-from-a-heavier-set/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/estimating-a-one-rep-max-from-a-heavier-set/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two standard formulas agree exactly at ten reps and then pull apart fast. The arithmetic, and why an estimate from a high-rep set is worth much less than one from a low-rep set. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pace-speed-and-time-are-one-relationship/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pace-speed-and-time-are-one-relationship/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Minutes per kilometer, kilometers per hour and total time are the same fact rearranged. The conversions worth carrying in your head, and why small pace changes compound over distance. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-calories-burned-estimate-actually-is/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-calories-burned-estimate-actually-is/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The number comes from a MET value, a population average for an activity, multiplied by your weight and your minutes. What each part means, and why the output is a scale rather than a measurement. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-wrong-content-security-policy-fails-silently/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-wrong-content-security-policy-fails-silently/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nothing the policy refuses announces itself, and a local server that sends no policy at all will look perfect right up until you deploy. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-each-security-header-actually-prevents/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-each-security-header-actually-prevents/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Framing, MIME sniffing, referrer leakage and forced HTTPS — four narrow jobs. Worth doing, and worth knowing exactly how narrow each one is. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/robots-txt-controls-crawling-not-indexing/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/robots-txt-controls-crawling-not-indexing/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A disallowed URL can still show up in search results, and the noindex tag that would keep it out only works if the crawler is allowed to fetch the page. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/permanent-redirects-are-hard-to-take-back/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/permanent-redirects-are-hard-to-take-back/ 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 301 gets cached by browsers, sometimes with no expiry, and undoing one means reaching machines you do not control. Also: why two hops usually means one too many. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-unix-timestamp-has-no-time-zone-in-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/a-unix-timestamp-has-no-time-zone-in-it/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT It is one integer: seconds since 1970 in UTC. Every time-zone bug and every accidental trip to the year 57971 comes from what happens after that. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-the-luhn-check-can-and-cannot-tell-you/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-the-luhn-check-can-and-cannot-tell-you/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Luhn is a checksum for catching typos. It says a string of digits is internally consistent — not that an account exists, and not that anyone owns it. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/401-and-403-are-not-the-same-refusal/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/401-and-403-are-not-the-same-refusal/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The first digit of an HTTP status tells you whose problem it is. The pairs that get confused — 401 against 403, 301 against 302 — are where the debugging time goes. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-one-line-insert-makes-the-whole-diff-look-changed/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-one-line-insert-makes-the-whole-diff-look-changed/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A diff is supposed to find the smallest set of changes between two texts. Line endings, trailing spaces and one inserted line are the three things that bury the real one. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/escaping-is-not-one-thing-it-depends-on-context/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/escaping-is-not-one-thing-it-depends-on-context/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The same string needs three different treatments in a path, a query value and a form body. Here is one string escaped all three ways, with the reasoning. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/escape-html-on-output-not-filter-on-input/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/escape-html-on-output-not-filter-on-input/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why the four characters that break markup have to be escaped before user text reaches a page, and why escaping for text and for an attribute are not the same job. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/repeated-query-string-keys-have-no-agreed-meaning/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/repeated-query-string-keys-have-no-agreed-meaning/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A query string is text with conventions, not a data structure. Here is what ?a=1&a=2 means, why frameworks disagree, and why splitting before decoding is the one order that works. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/decoding-base64-is-not-the-same-as-trusting-it/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/decoding-base64-is-not-the-same-as-trusting-it/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What padding is for, what a decoder will and will not accept, and why decoded content is still untrusted input that has to be escaped for wherever it lands. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/same-diagonal-different-screen-area/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/same-diagonal-different-screen-area/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A diagonal measurement tells you almost nothing about how much surface you get, because the answer depends on the shape as well as the length. The formula, worked through at one fixed diagonal. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-ppi-tells-you-and-what-it-cannot/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-ppi-tells-you-and-what-it-cannot/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Pixels per inch comes from Pythagoras on the pixel grid, and it is exact arithmetic. What it cannot do on its own is describe what reaches a viewer, because that depends on distance. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/double-the-diameter-four-times-the-pizza/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/double-the-diameter-four-times-the-pizza/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Area grows with the square of the radius, which makes the difference between two round things much larger than their diameters suggest. Worked through with real numbers, including the two-small-versus-one-large comparison. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pythagoras-off-the-page/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/pythagoras-off-the-page/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The right-triangle relationship earns its keep away from the classroom: sizing a diagonal brace, checking whether something fits through an opening, and proving a corner is square before you fix it. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/an-hourly-rate-is-not-a-wage/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/an-hourly-rate-is-not-a-wage/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What you want to earn and what you have to charge are separated by holiday, unbilled hours, premises, insurance and every job you quoted for and did not get. The gap is bigger than almost anyone guesses. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-commission-split-ordering-trap/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-commission-split-ordering-trap/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The same percentages applied in a different order produce different money. Here are both orders on identical figures, and why only the agreement can say which one is right. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-unit-price-is-not-the-cost/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/the-unit-price-is-not-the-cost/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Freight, duty, handling and the exchange spread all land on the same box of goods. A product that looked profitable on the invoice can be a loss by the time it is on the shelf. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-plate-costs-before-the-menu-price/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-plate-costs-before-the-menu-price/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT You buy a kilo and you serve 800 grams of it. Cost the dish on what you bought, not on what reached the plate, and every price on the menu is quietly wrong. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-random-actually-means-on-a-computer/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-random-actually-means-on-a-computer/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A pseudo-random generator given the same starting value produces the same numbers forever. That is a feature and a limitation, and knowing which is which decides what you can use it for. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/two-dice-are-not-flat-the-36-outcomes-in-full/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/two-dice-are-not-flat-the-36-outcomes-in-full/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One die is even across all six faces. Two dice are a triangle peaking at 7, and 7 comes up six times as often as 2. Here is every outcome, counted. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-random-uuid-is-safe-to-assume-unique/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/why-a-random-uuid-is-safe-to-assume-unique/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two machines that have never spoken can each invent an identifier and be confident they do not clash. The confidence comes from arithmetic, and the honest word is negligible — not zero. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fair-teams-and-what-an-unbiased-shuffle-has-to-do/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/fair-teams-and-what-an-unbiased-shuffle-has-to-do/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The obvious way to shuffle a list is subtly wrong, and you can prove it by counting. Here are all 27 outcomes for a three-name list, and what the correct version changes. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mean-median-and-mode-are-three-different-averages/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/mean-median-and-mode-are-three-different-averages/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One skewed set can have an average of 17.78 and an average of 5 at the same time, both correct. Here is how to tell which one you have been handed. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/weighted-averages-and-averaging-the-averages/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/weighted-averages-and-averaging-the-averages/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two group averages of 80 and 50 do not make 65 if the groups are different sizes. Here is the worked example where the two methods disagree by nine points. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-standard-deviation-actually-tells-you/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/what-a-standard-deviation-actually-tells-you/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT It is roughly the typical distance from the mean. Here is how to compute one by hand, why there are two divisors, and why the number means nothing on its own. https://theggnetwork.com/blog/working-backwards-to-the-grade-you-need/ https://theggnetwork.com/blog/working-backwards-to-the-grade-you-need/ 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT One line of algebra turns your current standing and the final's weight into the score you need. And if that score comes out above 100, the honest answer is to say so.