How to Study Way More Effectively | The Feynman Technique

Had I been in search of the most suitable topic for my next post, until I found it. I recently encountered the "The Feynman Technique". One of the most popular and accepted study techniques to date. It might as well be the solution for students struggling in college. In the following article, I will expand on why I believe the aforesaid method to be of great significance not only in a classroom setting, but in countless others even outside of the academic realm.

 

Even though no method is infallible, this one is remarkably effective. The Feynman technique was of course developed a Richard Feynman, a well know physicist and author of world-wide recognition. Among his countless accomplishments are his earning of a Nobel Prize in 1965 and his research in 1986. Which actually helped understand the cause of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Back to the main point however. You can use this model to learn new concepts in a short amount of time. Not to mention that you return later on and fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Moreover, it also allows you to grapple with tedious subject matters in a more effectual manner. For instance, when trying to explain the essentials of particle physics, Feynman relied not only on verbal and spoken communication, but on diagrams and drawings that made his concepts clearer.

 

So as to better understand this technique, let us go through the steps one by one:

1. Identify the subject: Write as much as you can about the subject you want to master. Every time you run into a new concept, add it to your notes.

2. Teach it to a child: If you manage to teach a concept to a child, it shows a good level of undestanding of it.

As you did with step one, start with a blank note. Write everything you know about the topic, but in plain and simple terms. Proceed to explain it to the child in a straight-forward way. 

3. Identify your knowledge gaps: Highlight your knowledge gaps, make sure nothing is missing. You can call upon your source material and answer question you could not have answered before. Organize your notes.

4. Organize + simplify + tell a story: Group together your notes and begin to create an story with concise explanations. Practice reading your story out loud. Pretend you are addressing a class full of students.  Try using analogies and simple sentences to aid you explanation.

 

In summary, being able to use different strategies when trying to learn a new subject will boost your progress. Just remember that the one described above is only one of the many existing methods. Never stop enquiring and looking into more updated versions of previous techniques and new ones as well. Study less, study smart. In fact when Bill Gates bought the rights for Feynman's lectures he said: "I do think that making science cool to people when they are young and therefore getting more people to go into it in an in-depth way, I think that is very important right now".

Sources:
- https://medium.com/taking-note/learning-from-the-feynman-technique-5373014ad230
- Freedom in Thought YouTube Channel.

The great filter | Robin Hanson | TEDxLimassol

Why have we never been able to make contact with life-forms on other planets?. The aforesaid is a question that countless scientists have asked themselves for decades. The most fitting answer to that conundrum is without a doubt the "The Great Filter Hypothesis". In the following post, will I address my thoughts on this hypothesis. Not to mention elucidate on the relevant points.

 

From a wider spectrum perspective, it has indeed not been that long since the first two men landed on the moon.  July 20th, 1969 to be precise. Since then, we have only been able to send rovers, and orbiters to outer space. Be that as it may, our next "big challenge" is for NASA to prepare a human exploration program to Mars. What is more, every new discovery we make brings us one step closer to accomplishing that endeavor. Back to the main argument nonetheless. Experts suggest that the reason why we have failed thus far to contact extraterrestrial civilizations may be due to them having perished. It does seem hard to believe notwithstanding, that in a universe of 300 billion stars, there are no other life-forms alive other than us.

 

Professor Peter Ward, at the University of Washington concurs with aforementioned statement. He says that since there are hundreds of billions of galaxies similar to ours. Thus, billions of planets like Earths as well. There must be life somewhere else. The Great Filter Hypothesis claims that something gives rise to the destruction of civilizations, before they manage to develop intergalactic communication and travel. Professor Ward also states that a couple of reasons why societies cease to exist could be "climate change" and "overpopulation". According to him when a species overpopulates, it begins to poison its home. Irrespective of what the reason is however, by no means is Professor Ward discouraging other scientists from keeping up with their research.

 

Professor Carl Brusse, from the Australian National university, says as follows: "We have only searched a tiny corner of the galaxy, and it is enough for us to start questioning whether our initial assumptions were correct and maybe downgrade the possibility of life". He might as well be right. Being open to the likelihood of human kind being able to finally connect with the unknown is all we civilians can do for now. For the time being, we can expand our scientific knowledge slightly more, and hope for the best.  

Sources:

- https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-21/great-filter-theory-may-explain-why-well-never-contact-aliens/8731806
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aspMV6ERqpo