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Subject:RE: The Problem with STC From:"David Berg" <dberg -at- dmpnet -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 12 Dec 2000 10:51:34 -0600
> I'm currently reading "The Elegant Universe" by Brine Greene
> which attempts
> to explain superstring theory, relativity, and the Grand
> Unification Theory
> without resorting to mathematics.
That sounds like an interesting book, I'll check into it.
> I think it was Feynman who said: If you really understand
> something, you can
> explain it to a college freshman.
I've often heard this in stated as having the ability to explain it to a
child, and while that *can* include college freshmen, it shows a real talent
if you can go significantly younger than that. One example is when
Buckminster Fuller was watching his daughter Allegra was about four years
old, and he was caring for her while she was sick in bed. He came into her
room to tell her a story, only instead of speaking, he related the story
with pencil drawings. He told her a version of Goldilocks and the Three
Bears, and cast Allegra as Goldilocks. As Allegra relates the incident,
instead of taking her to the three bears house, he took her to Universe to
explain something of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. She says that the
story did not seem abstract at all, and she always remembered and cherished
the experience.
This story was later made into a book. If you are interested, look for
Tetrascroll by Buckminster Fuller. Also, the information for Allegra's
experience came from a web page at: http://www.thirteen.org/bucky/allegra.html.
I'd have to say that Allegra probably wasn't a typical four year old, but if
you can explain a principle that advanced to a child, even a gifted one, you
have real talent.
David Berg
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