Page 109 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

In this chapter, much as with enhancing and refining inventions, we’re going to
learn to enhance and refine our chunking skills. Creating a little library of these
chunks will help you perform better on tests and solve problems more creatively.
These processes will lay the groundwork for you to become an expert at
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whatever you’re working on. (In case you are wondering, our jump in this
chapter from procrastination back to chunking is an example of interleaving—
varying your learning by hopping back after a break to strengthen an approach

you’ve learned earlier.)
Here’s a key idea: Learning fundamental concepts of math and science can
be a lot easier than learning subjects that require a lot of rote memorization.
This is not to trivialize the difficulty or importance of memorization. Ask any
medical school student preparing for board exams!
One reason that statement is true is that once you start working on a math

or science problem, you’ll notice that each step you complete signals the next
step to you. Internalizing problem-solving techniques enhances the neural
activity that allows you to more easily hear the whispers of your growing
intuition. When you know—really know—how to solve a problem just by
looking at it, you’ve created a commanding chunk that sweeps like a song
through your mind. A library of these chunks gives you an understanding of
fundamental concepts in a way nothing else can.

So with that, here we go:

STEPS TO BUILDING A POWERFUL CHUNK

1. Work a key problem all the way through on paper. (You should have the solution to
this problem available, either because you’ve already worked it or because it’s a
solved problem from your book. But don’t look at the solution unless you absolutely
have to!) As you work through this problem, there should be no cheating, skipping
steps, or saying, “Yeah, I’ve got it” before you’ve fully worked it out. Make sure each
step makes sense.

2. Do another repetition of the problem, paying attention to the key processes. If it
seems a little odd to work a problem again, keep in mind that you would never learn to
play a song on the guitar by playing it only once, or work out by lifting a weight a
single time.

3. Take a break. You can study other aspects of the subject if you need to, but then go
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do something different. Work at your part-time job, study a different subject, or go
play basketball. You need to give your diffuse mode time to internalize the problem.
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4. Sleep. Before you go to sleep, work the problem again. If you get stuck, listen to the
problem. Let your subconscious tell you what to do next.