Okay, so I heard about this idea, maybe from a guy named Feynman? Something like that. It was about really understanding things, not just knowing the name. Sounded interesting, so I thought I’d give it a shot myself.
Trying Out That Learning Thing
First thing, I had to pick something to test this on. I chose, I don’t know, something I thought I knew okay, like how basic saving and loading works in a game I mess around with. Seemed simple enough, right?
So, I grabbed a piece of paper. The idea, as I understood it, was to explain it like I was talking to someone who knew nothing. Maybe a kid. Okay, let’s try.
I started writing: “Well, you hit the save button, and the game writes your progress to a file…” Simple. But then I got stuck. What kind of file? How does it know what progress to write? Just the location? Inventory too? How does it organize that data?
Man, it got complicated fast. I realized I was using words like ‘serialize’ or ‘data structure’ in my head, but explaining that simply? Tough.
- I tried drawing diagrams.
- I tried using analogies, like packing stuff into boxes.
- I tried just talking it out loud to myself.
Every time, I’d hit a point where I couldn’t break it down further without just saying “it’s magic” or using some technical word I couldn’t easily explain. That was the point, I guess. Finding where I was fuzzy.
Did it Work?
Yeah, it kinda did. It was annoying, honestly. It showed me I didn’t know the topic nearly as well as I thought. I could use the save system, but explaining its guts simply? Nope.
So, I had to go back. Look up how files are actually written by the computer, how data is structured for saving. It forced me to dig deeper than I normally would. I had to really break it down piece by piece.
It’s a slow process, though. Not something you do quickly. But afterwards, I felt I actually understood the saving process a lot better, not just how to click the button. I could probably explain it much better now, even the tricky bits.
So, yeah. It’s a useful trick, this Feynman thing. A bit painful for the ego, maybe, but definitely helps you find out what you don’t know.
