Page 71 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

Just focus on whatever section you are studying. You’ll find that once you
put the first problem or concept in your library, whatever it is, then the second
concept will go in a bit more easily. And the third more easily still. Not that all
of this is a snap, but it does get easier.

If you have a library of concepts and solutions internalized as chunked patterns, you can more
easily skip to the right solution to a problem by listening to the whispers from your diffuse mode.
Your diffuse mode can also help you connect two or more chunks together in new ways to solve
unusual problems.
There are two ways to solve problems—first, through sequential, step-by-step reasoning, and
second, through more holistic intuition. Sequential thinking, where each small step leads
deliberately toward the solution, involves the focused mode. Intuition, on the other hand, often
seems to require a creative, diffuse mode linking of several seemingly different focused mode
thoughts.
Most difficult problems are solved through intuition, because they make a leap away
from what you are familiar with. Keep in mind that the diffuse mode’s semi-random way of
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making connections means that the solutions it provides with should be carefully verified using the
focused mode. Intuitive insights aren’t always correct! 25