Page 175 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

takes on a new life in our own minds—we form ideas that enhance and enlighten
the neural patterns we already possess, allowing us to more readily see and
develop other related patterns.
Once we have created a chunk as a neural pattern, we can more easily pass
that chunked pattern to others, as Cajal and other great artists, poets, scientists,
and writers have done for millennia. Once other people grasp that chunk, not
only can they use it, but also they can more easily create similar chunks that

apply to other areas in their lives—an important part of the creative process.

Here you can see that the chunk—the rippling neural ribbon—on the left is very similar to the
chunk on the right. This symbolizes the idea that once you grasp a chunk in one subject, it is
much easier for you to grasp or create a similar chunk in another subject. The same underlying
mathematics, for example, echo throughout physics, chemistry, and engineering—and can
sometimes also be seen in economics, business, and models of human behavior. This is why it
can be easier for a physics or engineering major to earn a master’s in business administration
than someone with a background in English or history. 16
Metaphors and physical analogies also form chunks that can allow ideas even from very
different areas to influence one another. This is why people who love math, science, and
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technology often also find surprising help from their activities or knowledge of sports, music,
language, art, or literature. My own knowledge of how to learn a language helped me in learning
how to learn math and science.