Learn Faster with The Feynman Technique

[feynization]

While visually this may be the opposite of Tony Buzans Mind mapping system it is very simular in practise

[hooloovoo1st]

I've always thought that attempting to explain concepts to another person was the best way to improve my own understanding. Unfortunately, not many people are willing to sit and listen to me talk about vector calculus, no matter how simple I keep it :p.

[sodaxcandy08]

i thought of this technique by myself =D good for me!!!

[DoctorFastest]

You offer good advice for someone who has trouble keeping straight what they know and what they don't. (Admittedly this can be tricky sometimes. Especially in technical subjects, where sometimes people worry too much about vocabulary which they don't fully understand, rather than the ideas this vocabulary expresses).

But certainly this is not the ONLY moral of the Feynman topology story - in fact, that story is very much a testament to his genius.

[jcoffland]

What does your technique have to do with Feynman? It certainly doesn't fit with the story you started with.

[dondivideo]

When I was in college I had the odd experience of a couple of Mechanical Engineering graduate students coming to me - an undergraduate in psychology - when they were having trouble with homework problems. I didn't know the answers, but what the heck...? I'd ask them to work through the problem with me, and ask questions wherever I didn't understand something. At some point: "Ah," they'd say, "I know where the problem is!" Having to explain it to me, they saw what they had missed before.

[awanniexx]

Righty tighty, lefty loosy????? HAHAHAHA really???



[TheSmackerlacker]

Is it abnormal that I do this every day, in my head, and have done since I was very young?

[redhotkido]

cud u use this for math concepts??

[EltBerserker]

? I've already used this for my entire life.

[MarceloMuzzi]

As someone already said this was not invented by Feynman, for sure others had used it before. I, and other people I know that have never heard of Feynman, "teach to themselves" in order to learn.

Nonetheless, it is a great technique, otherwise the great Feynman (as much as he would hate being called this, I feel I need to) wouldn't have used it.

At last, your definition for torque is not exactly right: it's not a force, rather the rotational motion equivalent of the (rectilinear motion) force.

[HumanChemistry101]

The "Feynman problem solving algorithm" is way better than this.

[SporadicHesitation]

I think he would hate that anyone is calling this the Feynman technique. It would probably piss him off so bad.

[MisterFusion113]

I guess a lot of people were looking for a technique that doesn't involve doing any work. If you think about it this is really about "cutting the fat." You're isolating the parts that you don't understand so that you don't go back and read a whole chapter. The thing with any technique like this is that you actually think about it to use it, that will at least make your study process more consistent.

Sure it's simple, the best processes always are.

[Svm777]

Yeah, but, isn't referencing to books, texts, lectures and all of that, part of how much the teachers grade and see if we studied "right" ?

[bitchslapper12]

This is common, I thought I would be able to understand things much better and faster, fuck you motherfucker I knew this before

[rgrannell1]

I was expecting this to be the unusual joke about the feynman algorithm, but this was actually pretty good. Problem is it doesn't work for all subjects; in zoology I always tried to connect things, but really the subject was just a collection of non-unifiable facts (at least at 2nd year level). It works the charm for more connected subjects though, like Biochemistry or Mathematics

[quarkonium]

Excellent stuff. I've been a huge fan of Feynman and I realized I've implicitly used this while taking notes on philosophy and social theory (which I am majoring in now).

In my opinion however, depth and speed are mutually exclusive. And this has helped me learn deeper, not necessarily faster. And I'm glad that I slow down because of this, especially when going through difficult texts.

[TheSyrupMan]

I will use this technique to learn about The Feynman Technique.

[JLJorgenson18]

This is how mathematics major completely adjust their way of thinking

[ibnmamdou]

Useful technique man!!! Keep it up!! May Allah bless you

[lsbrother]

you said -- ""Feynman went into Math dept and challenged anyone to explain to him any complicated idea using simple terminology in a way he could understand. He would then reach the same conclusions they had""

That doesn't make any sense - at all!

try again!

[han666]

Hey Scott, where did you hear this story from?

[csmcmillion]

I tried this for "Understanding Women". I still don't understand them.

[MadMoneyGirl]

@csmcmillion lol..this technique cannot handle the complex inner workings of the ordinary woman. :-)

[ClockworkGearhead]

@MadMoneyGirl Because they are not complex. Just contradictory.

[Vonlava]

@MadMoneyGirl Women arent complicated. theyre self-conscious whores who get attention and control through sex and emotional manipulation.

[Goodfellow7]

I thought this was just common sense, the Feynmann technique? Come on.

[trescamp]

@Goodfellow7 LOL, distilling an idea to its essence, then creating a metaphorical connection to see the larger picture isn't exactly common sense for most of us! Feynman's technique radically transformed the way professional physicists do their jobs. Thanks for sharing, Scott.

[nametakenfan]

@Goodfellow7 - Just because It's common sense to you doesn't necessarily mean its common sense for everyone else. Yes, it's a super simple way to review/teach yourself something, but not everyone has thought about it. I've been looking for better ways to study and never even dreamed of something so simple. Thanks for sharing, Scott!

[Vonlava]

@Goodfellow7 Algebra is common sense but you wouldnt have invented it.

[dijaydave94]

You need to sharpen your pencil. It's blunt and it's annoying me :/

[MuonRay]

This won't work if the lecturer is teaching the course material word for word from a textbook and expects you to replicate proofs in an exam. a lot of lecturers treat certain books, which they claim as being only mere references, as sacrosanct. If you do a course on electromagnetism there is probably only 2 books the lecturer will recommend: either Griffth's or Jackson, which are carbon copies of each other. they will never use an Open University textbook, despite being more practical.

[kaga13]

@MuonRay Griffiths is much easier than Jackson...

[thimmyb]

This video deserves much more attention! I can't find the "Feynman Technique" anywhere else online though, or any connection between Richard Feynman and the technique for that matter. Nevertheless, I will do my best to implement this into my own studies. So thanks!

[KennyVanLent]

Is there also a way of learning while asleep? As when waking up you are enthousiastic about an exam, because all of the sudden the answers are known, and are aware of.

[ScottHYoungVid]

@KennyVanLent - I've heard of subliminal systems, but I mostly think they're BS. They may have some uses I haven't explored yet, but for explicit knowledge (the kind tested on in academics) I don't think it would be very useful. That said, there are some studying methods for getting learning time out of otherwise wasted activities (waiting in lines, commuting, cooking, etc.) that we teach in the program.

[psychobollox]

@ScottHYoungVid

the science on the subliminal learning approach suggests - as you think - that it is bullshit. what you say about trying to explain the idea to oneself as if one were teaching someone else ... excellent stuff. that's the essence of self-teaching ... it is an active process, not a passive one.

[mark95427]

@KennyVanLent

Studies have shown that sleep learning and subliminal tools have little or no effect on learning.

[KennyVanLent]

@mark95427 And from what source does that answer come from? Could you be more specific please?