Page 57 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science
P. 57
{ 4 }
chunking and avoiding illusions of
competence:
The Keys to Becoming an “Equation
Whisperer”
olomon Shereshevsky first came to his boss’s attention because he was
S lazy. Or so his boss thought.
Solomon was a journalist. At that time, in the mid-1920s in the Soviet
Union, being a journalist meant reporting what you were told, no more, no less.
Daily assignments were given out—detailing whom to see, at what address, and
to obtain what information. The editor in charge began to notice that everyone
took notes. Everyone, that is, except Solomon Shereshevsky. Curious, the editor
asked Solomon what was going on.
Solomon was surprised—why should he take notes, he asked, when he could
remember whatever he heard? With that, Solomon repeated part of the morning’s
lecture, word for word. What Solomon found surprising was that he thought
everyone had a memory like his. Perfect. Indelible. 1
Wouldn’t you love to have the gift of such a memory?
Actually, you probably wouldn’t. Because hand-in-hand with his
extraordinary memory, Solomon had a problem. In this chapter, we’ll be talking
about precisely what that problem is—involving how focus links to both
understanding and memory.
What Happens When You Focus Your Attention?
