If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it

Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by xg15 on Thursday June 15, 2017 @08:20PM (#14565598)

But I think that's the deeper point of the "if you can't explain it, you don't understand it": Sure, you can write down the equations, but then what exactly have you done? You wrote down some string of characters and showed that it can be derived from some other strings of characters by applying a series of arbitrary-looking rules. By itself, that doesn't tell anything. It's only when you manage the connect formula to the part of reality that it tries to describe - and connect that part to the rest of reality - that it gains any sense.

Trying to explain a concept in "simple terms" forces you to view it in terms of its connection to other, well-known phenomena.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by throwaway3535 on Thursday June 15, 2017 @09:47PM (#14566043)

> You wrote down some string of characters and showed that it can be derived from some other strings of characters by applying a series of arbitrary-looking rules.

At this point it's turtles all the way down.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by paulddraper on Friday June 16, 2017 @07:50AM (#14568120)

Yep :D

You have to arbitrarily decide where to end: typical 5-year-old, typical high-school student, typical math professor.

What people mean by "simple terms" is "simple terms that I understand".

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by xg15 on Friday June 16, 2017 @02:23AM (#14567015)

No.

That's what it looks like if you only look at the formula. (And why I'd say that formulas are not an "objectively simple way of expressing something*)

If you can somehow keep in mind what the formula is supposed to represent, the operations on characters will let you find some insight about that thing and will stop standing only for itself.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by Qwertious on Friday June 16, 2017 @09:57AM (#14568987)

The point is that the term "simple" is inherently subjective - there are plenty of concepts that are simple and intuitive once learned, but are hard to learn.

Also, mathematical formulas are essentially a different language. If people don't speak it, then it's a moot point.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by Retric on Thursday June 15, 2017 @09:54PM (#14566073)

QM for example has zero relationship with well known phenomena.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by squeaky-clean on Friday June 16, 2017 @12:25AM (#14566668)

Well, from the article

> Feynman was also quoted as saying:

> I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by pharrington on Thursday June 15, 2017 @10:01PM (#14566099)

Now I want to invent a hominid that intuits probability.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by TheOtherHobbes on Friday June 16, 2017 @04:33AM (#14567451)

Humans intuit probability. We just do it very badly.

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Re:If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t... by Chris2048 on Friday June 16, 2017 @09:44AM (#14568864)

I'd say we do it quite well, just not in in higher brain parts. We find it hard to integrate 'intuition' with the later 'reasoning' parts, instead, it just biases the logic.

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