Learn Faster with The Feynman Technique

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The technique is inspired by Richard Feynman and the story I share at the beginning which is taken from his autobiography, Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman.

[DavidKristoffersson]

My summary of the technique:
 1. Choose the concept you want to understand
 2. Take a blank piece of paper, write the name of that concept at the top of the page
 3. Explain the idea to yourself as if you were teaching it to someone who does not understand it at all
 4. Whenever you get stuck, go back to the reference material, lectures or a teacher assistant and re-read or re-learn the material until you get it enough that you can explain it on the paper
 5. Whenever you write down a wordy or a confusing explanation for something, try either to simplify the language, or create an analogy to understand it better
 (6. If you want to understand something even better or remember it even better, further try to develop, simplify and improve the explanation)
 (7. A good self-test of what you've learned is to go through your technique without looking at any reference material at any point and see if you can explain it deeply)

[anirbanc]

1:25 STEP ONE: CHOOSE YOUR CONCEPT
1:37 STEP TWO: PRETEND YOU'RE TEACHING THE IDEA TO A NEW STUDENT
1:57 STEP THREE: IF YOU GET STUCK, GO BACK TO THE BOOK
2:20 STEP FOUR: SIMPLIFY AND CREATE ANALOGIES

[kevingeaney]

I am not highly educated, in fact I dropped out of school when I was 16, however I have been using my own method, which is very very close to what you discribe, for years. I imagine I am writing a letter to someone who would understand the subject if I explained it clearly enough. Usually the problem is resolved before I get to the end of the page, however if not, I put it aside for a day or two and then I read it OUT LOUD to myself. works every time for me! even on personal / relationship problems.

[RacetSmith]

I just used the Feynman Technique to Learn the Feynman Technique!

[seancloser]

Just realised I ve been using this technique unknowingly all the time.

[Horrigmo]

Instead of asking a young Richard what he learned at school, his parents would ask him "What questions did you ask today?".

The most curious man I've heard of, and a true inspiration.

[verisimilitudeteller]

I've used the visualization technique as if I were teaching what I just learned or read to get it into my head better. I've done this for 25-30 years, but never encountered it either as a named technique or was taught it, I just kinda came up with it myself.

This is more elaborately laid out than what I do, but I love the idea that I came up with something so close to what a genius like Feynman. I usually do it "on the fly" I'll read a few paragraphs of something and then give a quick lesson to the classroom in my head, rewording what I just learned. By explaining it with my own choice of words it really makes things stick.

[zeinhanouneh]

I never knew this technique. But, I just realized I've been using it for the last 2 years in my biology classes especially. Definitely effective!

[ripperduck]

Three of the most important concepts that you will need in order to understand both physics and math, and how they work together.

1. All physics, in fact, all science, occurs with a change in energy. That's what they mean when they say physics happens at the margin. They say that in economics, as well. They'll say it, but I have yet to have one professor explain it. A margin graphically depicts where there is a change. So, there must be an energy change in order to have physics. That's why we have potential and kinetic energy. Think of the word 'potential.' It means latent, or the capacity to do something. To do what? Move, or become kinetic. Science is basically the study of the catalysts which create that change.

2. Calculus was created in order to measure the physical changes that take place with an alternating energy. Differential calc tells us where that change took place, ala the limits of a function, and integral calc tells us the aggregate energy during a certain time frame.

3. Know the concept of a pure number. This may be the most important math concept of them all. If you're thinking you've never heard of a pure number, well, yes, you have. It goes by other names, ratios, percentages, fractions, degrees or radians of an angle, slope of a line, exponents and logarithms, derivatives, entropy, etc.

As you can see, the pure number covers so many topics. So what is it? Pure numbers are numbers without units or dimensions, they have no quantities, they are not the number of any one thing. Instead, they're ratios, and ratios are comparisons, and what did we learn back in the first grade? We compare likes to like. For instance, in thermodynamic entropy, heat is the numerator, temperature is the denominator, both are forms of energy, so the SI units cancel, and you're left with a pure number. So what? Well, temperature can be thought of as potential energy, heat is the kinetic form of temperature. One has to be converted into the other in order to have physics, or in this case, the capacity to do work. Think of a dam, with a giant reservoir of water. It aint doing anything as long as the gates are locked. But open the gates, the water starts charging out, so you get a change from potential energy to kinetic. That change allows turbines to move, therefore, work is being done, and work is just another word for energy. But until there is an energy change, nothing happens, electricity isn't generated, electrons don't move, heat isn't created with those moving electrons, the force of friction of the wire against the moving electrons cannot generate heat, which is yet another energy change, none of that can take place until the initial energy is altered. Entropy is a number that tells us how much of the beginning energy has been transformed into another form. In science, you need to measure where something began, and where it ended up, in order to gauge and evaluate what your system is doing, if your engineering and thinking is actually playing out as you though it would.

You can go a long way with just understanding those three concepts, primarily because it tells you WHY these things work and WHY they're important. Real knowledge is gained when you know the why of things. But you'll have a hell of a time finding a textbook that will tell you the why of things mathematical or

[warriormanhasdied]

I didn't at all know this feynman technique, but this is essentially how I do note taking.

[DEVIL]

excellent. ill add few points.
1.dont ask doubts to those who use complex terms to explain a concept WITHOUT EXPLAINING THE COMPLEX TERM.they can screw what u might have already learnt.
2. yes. learning takes time.when we learn, we touch ourself.we ask ourself questions and are truly convinced when we find the explanation.afterall we cant lie to ourself.crammers tend to obediently gulp down info given in the material as there is no enough time to challenge wat is given there, nor does in matter in exam where all its important is marks. but yes, for learning it does.
3.joy of learning, curiosity. when we learn out of curiosity, , the concept stays with us forever, as when curious we pay full attention to scavenge every possible detail and understand the concept.

4. pull imagination and visualization into learning.its awesome! and it helps to retain long.and making things little funny and amusing makes it stick in mind long!

[HB-klik]

Scott thank you!
Since 2014, you are the one who introduced me and many others to productivity. Even before it was a thing. No matter how many mainstream creators come and go, you are the king! You have been the benefactor, and I come back again to this video to pay my respects.

Thank you for being a huge part of our growth journies.

[mikehagerty]

So, to study for a test you should try to understand the concepts and material ? Wow, that's genius!

[humblehobbit]

Here is one tip to remember while studying, humans are better programmed to remember visual images as opposed to arbitrary words and numbers. The more prominent the image, the more memorable it becomes. Incorporate this by means of association.

[meldavid]

I did this exact technique for biology and would talk out loud as if I'm giving a lecture and I also taught it to my friends. I got one of the best marks in class.
I also didn't do as well in one of my midterms (I worked hard and felt as thought I understood everything) but when I went to explain it to a friend I realized I actually didn't understand everything

[Mutantcy]

I use a similar technique in essay writing. Instead of doing a rigid outline, I will open up notepad and essentially go on a typing rant, as if someone asked me what my essay was going to be about and I had just polished off a six pack.

Putting the ideas out there in simple terms allows you to build up complex ideas around them.

[VictorFoote]

I remember watching this years ago! I wonder why it appeared on my recommended again. It seems to have been a pattern recently. Old videos keep popping up. But this is a good one!

[deryl]

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." - Albert Einstein

[MrRayne]

Well, I have been doing this for years after hearing a quote, I don't remember from who. "if you can't explain it, then you don't understand it". Although understanding principles is not the same as solving problems as problems have many underwater rocks that are not noticeable in just explanations.

[FilhoLouco]

Excellent video! Today i catch myself studying calculus 2 (Taylor Polynomials), and when i started to explain the things to me, i realised that i didn't have truly understood previous concepts like tangent line. And now i am getting a better base of math and the concepts are easier to understand.