Pulled over after he was apparently observed failing to halt at a stop sign, the author of this paper, Dmitri Krioukov, was determined to prove his innocence—as only a scientist would.

Using math, he demonstrated that, to a police officer measuring the angular speed of Krioukov’s car, a brief obstruction from view could cause an illusion that the car did not stop. Krioukov submitted his proof to the arXiv; the judge ruled in his favor.