An expert in electronics does easier tasks

The following is from the book 5 elements of effective thinking by Burger and Starbird. A great book that shows you how to think better:

When great players play tennis, they watch the ball better than a beginner does.

They are doing the easier task of hitting the ball while watching it, rather than the more difficult task of hitting the ball by estimating its future location based solely on where it was at the moment it flew over the net.

When plug-and-chug physics students apply formulas with no sense of what they mean or why they are true, those students are doing a difficult task – doing physics with their eyes closed.

Students who understand the ideas behind the formulas are doing a different task. They are working with their eyes open.

The better students are doing an easier task.

Understanding the meaning and reasoning behind the formulas sometimes strikes students as an unnecessary and diversionary step. In reality understanding leads directly to easier future work and better results.

This is why I always try to explain things in layman’s terms.

For example, most people have an understanding of what a battery does. So when I say that a capacitor is like a battery, people can relate to that and quickly understand the basic function of a capacitor. Even though that’s not the whole picture, it’s sufficient to get a basic understanding of the capacitor.

Also with the transistor: Instead of going on and on about semiconducting materials and n-doped holes, I prefer to just show how the transistor works. Quickly and to the point.

This will give you the understanding you need to “do easier tasks” in the future.

Let me know what you think in the comment field below!

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