Explorable Explanations
The hub for playable posts — effectively the index for the entire genre of learn-by-fiddling essays.
Opens in a new tab. We do not control this site and it may have changed since we catalogued it.
How to get the most from it
Explorable Explanations sits in Interactive Explainers under Learn, filed as rabbit hole.
- Open it when the evening is free. It has no natural stopping point.
- Use a laptop or desktop computer — we file it as desktop only.
- It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
- No account needed — you can start without signing up.
- Go in expecting something brainy and clever.
About this category: Explainers that use motion, interaction and scrolling to teach what a paragraph never could. The clearest teaching on the internet lives here.
Good for
- A long evening with nothing planned
- Giving your brain a workout
- Being impressed by a clever idea
- A quiet break at your desk
- Trying it with zero commitment
Explorable Explanations: quick answers
Is Explorable Explanations free?
Yes. Explorable Explanations is free to use and needs no account.
Do I need an account to use Explorable Explanations?
No. You can use Explorable Explanations without signing up for anything.
Does Explorable Explanations work on a phone?
Not well. We file Explorable Explanations as desktop only, so open it on a laptop or desktop computer.
Is Explorable Explanations safe for work?
Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.
How long does Explorable Explanations take?
We file it as "Rabbit hole": Clear your evening. We warned you.
More in Interactive Explainers
All 15 in Interactive ExplainersEvery part of a wristwatch exploded and animated in sequence, until the escapement finally makes sense.
- 10 min
- Desktop
Neal Agarwal's collection of one-idea interactive toys, from spending Bill Gates' money to scrolling the whole ocean floor.
Drag mildly biased shapes around a grid and watch a segregated neighbourhood assemble itself without anyone intending it.
A quantum computing textbook with spaced repetition built into the page, so what you read has a chance of staying.
Same mood: brainy
All brainy sitesAn idle game built on actual differential equations, with optional theory levels that teach you the mathematics as you climb.
- 1 hr+
NASA's real-time 3D model of every mission in flight, letting you ride along with a probe on its actual trajectory.
- 10 min
- Desktop
FactNet
AltFShort, sourced facts arranged so one leads into the next. Built for the specific pleasure of learning something you can repeat.
- 10 min
London has been dragged underground by bats, and the writing is far better than that sentence suggests. Free, endless, faintly sinister.
- 1 hr+
Keep exploring
Category
Time and mood
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