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A circle needs no explanation (to people who can see it). Math is a construct of humans which applies meaning to symbols, and need to be explained, which can be

A circle needs no explanation (to people who can see it). Math is a construct of humans which applies meaning to symbols, and need to be explained, which can be rather problematic. Boolean algebra will need to explain true, false, arrow implications, negation, etc..

chmod775 3y ago
You can do something that requires problem-solving very akin to boolean algebra using simple mechanical components. Give subjects a place where they get to put in their components in an arrangement of their choosing, and you get something that either works or doesn't. Mechanical gates can be really simple[1][2]. The task can be as basic as "push the ball". I'm not saying you should do exactly boolean algebra. Trying to fill in the gaps in many kinds of mechanism will already test problem solving skills and creativity. If crows can figure out levers and using sticks as basic tools, I'd wager any functioning human could - and if they can't, that tells you something about them already. Bonus points if you can set this up physically. Shouldn't be hard to make someone understand. The hard part is making sure that there's actually enough material to choose from so that the subject has to be creative, rather than just matching whatever fits. [1]: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Two-mechanical-logical-gates-AND-on-top-OR-at-the-bottom_fig1_301841894 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Two-mechanical-logical-g... [2]: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raul-Rojas-6/publication/301841894/figure/fig2/AS:360958095577090@1463070524171/An-XOR-gate-made-of-mechanical-relays.png https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raul-Rojas-6/publicatio...
- EchoChamberMan 3y ago
  Sure, you could. I was answering the question "why do iq tests rely heavily on pattern recognition?", and I think one big answer is that symbols don't need to be explained. Reflecting and reading your answer, I think ease of giving, grading, manufacture and transport of the test, are also parts of the equation.

chmod775 3y ago

You can do something that requires problem-solving very akin to boolean algebra using simple mechanical components. Give subjects a place where they get to put in their components in an arrangement of their choosing, and you get something that either works or doesn't. Mechanical gates can be really simple[1][2]. The task can be as basic as "push the ball". I'm not saying you should do exactly boolean algebra. Trying to fill in the gaps in many kinds of mechanism will already test problem solving skills and creativity. If crows can figure out levers and using sticks as basic tools, I'd wager any functioning human could - and if they can't, that tells you something about them already. Bonus points if you can set this up physically. Shouldn't be hard to make someone understand. The hard part is making sure that there's actually enough material to choose from so that the subject has to be creative, rather than just matching whatever fits. [1]: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Two-mechanical-logical-gates-AND-on-top-OR-at-the-bottom_fig1_301841894 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Two-mechanical-logical-g... [2]: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raul-Rojas-6/publication/301841894/figure/fig2/AS:360958095577090@1463070524171/An-XOR-gate-made-of-mechanical-relays.png https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raul-Rojas-6/publicatio...

EchoChamberMan 3y ago
Sure, you could. I was answering the question "why do iq tests rely heavily on pattern recognition?", and I think one big answer is that symbols don't need to be explained. Reflecting and reading your answer, I think ease of giving, grading, manufacture and transport of the test, are also parts of the equation.