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// Albert Einstein said: "If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself." I like to think this is true about explaining things to

by thuruv 5y ago

// Albert Einstein said: "If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself." I like to think this is true about explaining things to my parents - Isn't this a quote by Richard Feynman?

finite_jest 5y ago
I think that is probably a "folk quote", the attribution to Feynman is also inaccurate AFAIK. He said something similar though: > Feynman was a truly great teacher. He prided himself on being able to devise ways to explain even the most profound ideas to beginning students. Once, I said to him, “Dick, explain to me, so that I can understand it, why spin one-half particles obey Fermi-Dirac statistics.” Sizing up his audience perfectly, Feynman said, “I’ll prepare a freshman lecture on it.” But he came back a few days later to say, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t reduce it to the freshman level. That means we don’t really understand it.” – Feynman’s Lost Lecture by David and Judith Goodstein
- skrebbel 5y ago
  I like the subtle hidden arrogance that "we don't really understand it" if Feynman can't explain it at freshman level.
  - kragen 5y ago
    It's probably true that if he didn't understand it well enough to explain it at freshman level then nobody did.
beambot 5y ago
I found it ironic that this initial quote seemed to be the intent of the article... which then goes on to display charts and equations that are unlikely to jive with a six year old.
- kjaftaedi 5y ago
  This concept is not about explaining things in terms a 6 year old can understand. It's about understanding the subject matter well enough that if necessary you could simplify and elaborate on topics to bring your audience to your level of understanding. (i.e. - understanding your subject vs. being able to recite facts) You really come to terms with how well you know a subject when you sit down and try to teach it to someone else.
- caminante 5y ago
  That is a good way to curse your self!
- halfway_there 5y ago
  Pretty sure the intent of the article is to explain to his parents (as indicated by the title and sentence after the quote)
dang 5y ago
Neither Einstein nor Feynman. It's just one of those quote memes that get stuck to famous people because those are the most likely attributions to get repeated. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/10/19/barmaid/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/10/19/barmaid/

by thuruv 5y ago

finite_jest 5y ago

I think that is probably a "folk quote", the attribution to Feynman is also inaccurate AFAIK. He said something similar though: > Feynman was a truly great teacher. He prided himself on being able to devise ways to explain even the most profound ideas to beginning students. Once, I said to him, “Dick, explain to me, so that I can understand it, why spin one-half particles obey Fermi-Dirac statistics.” Sizing up his audience perfectly, Feynman said, “I’ll prepare a freshman lecture on it.” But he came back a few days later to say, “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t reduce it to the freshman level. That means we don’t really understand it.” – Feynman’s Lost Lecture by David and Judith Goodstein

skrebbel 5y ago
I like the subtle hidden arrogance that "we don't really understand it" if Feynman can't explain it at freshman level.
- kragen 5y ago
  It's probably true that if he didn't understand it well enough to explain it at freshman level then nobody did.

beambot 5y ago

I found it ironic that this initial quote seemed to be the intent of the article... which then goes on to display charts and equations that are unlikely to jive with a six year old.

kjaftaedi 5y ago
This concept is not about explaining things in terms a 6 year old can understand. It's about understanding the subject matter well enough that if necessary you could simplify and elaborate on topics to bring your audience to your level of understanding. (i.e. - understanding your subject vs. being able to recite facts) You really come to terms with how well you know a subject when you sit down and try to teach it to someone else.
caminante 5y ago
That is a good way to curse your self!
halfway_there 5y ago
Pretty sure the intent of the article is to explain to his parents (as indicated by the title and sentence after the quote)

dang 5y ago

Neither Einstein nor Feynman. It's just one of those quote memes that get stuck to famous people because those are the most likely attributions to get repeated. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/10/19/barmaid/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/10/19/barmaid/