hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about the feynman technique and
how to learn anything faster now let's begin are you looking for one technique to supercharge your
learning well this technique can help you learn faster memorize more and master subjects like you
never could before this innovative strategy was pioneered by richard feynman he's a nobel prize
winning physicist in the mid-1900s feynman was a front-runner in quantum mechanics and particle
physics he's one of the founders of quantum computing and was one of the first to introduce
the concept of nanotechnology but feynman did not earn his academic prowess by chance
no feynman created a technique so he could learn better than everyone else
he wouldn't just absorb more information he wouldn't memorize more vocabulary words
feynman's technique revolves around a deeper understanding of subjects you want to master using
his own technique feynman won the nobel prize in 1965 for his work with quantum electrodynamics at
the core of feynman's astounding scientific genius is a four-step process that anyone can learn
so what is that process what is the feynman technique let's start with a general overview and
then we'll get into the finer details the feynman technique breaks the learning process into four
broad and repeatable steps you use these four steps to learn well almost anything the technique
itself is based on a simple observation feynman notice that there are two types of knowledge
many people know what things are called but very few people understand them
throughout our schooling we're taught to memorize titles terms and names many of us have a long bank
of buzzwords stored within our memories when we try to explain something we reference and use
all of the complicated words that we've learned now most of the time those words communicate
the gist of what we're saying but they don't fully explain the concept yet the other person
believes you or rather they believe that you're smart enough to know what you're talking about
but the truth is neither of you fully grasp what you're saying you're using that complicated
terminology like a crutch you're compensating for your deficits in knowledge now feynman
distinguishes between this kind of knowledge which we'll call knowing and a new kind of knowledge
which we'll call understanding to understand something is to explain the concept so anyone
could also understand it that's why the focal point of feynman's technique is simplification
to truly understand a topic you must teach that topic to someone who knows nothing about it
someone with zero background on the subject that you're discussing if you can't explain
that subject to a complete amateur then there are gaps in your understanding according to feynman
but how do you use the feynman technique to learn what you want to learn the feynman technique uses
four easy steps to help you study strengthen your knowledge or tackle confusing subjects
the first step is choosing what you want to learn take out a blank sheet of paper and a
pen or pencil at the top of the page write down the subject that you want to understand
okay let's say for example you want to learn how gravity works anyone can say the earth
has gravity but could you explain how gravity functions why does it exist where does it come
from that's the goal of the feynman technique by the end of this process you'll gain a complete
understanding of whatever subject you choose but for now just write down the name of your concept
on that sheet of paper step two is where most people realize just how little they understand
in step two you're going to write a simple and clear explanation of your subject
don't use fancy terminology and do the best that you can with the knowledge that you
currently have now if you haven't realized it already concise explanations are hard to
write it takes time and a deep understanding to explain your subject with one simple definition
that's why the feynman technique is so successful unless you understand a subject completely then
you'll struggle to write a successful explanation once you've written your explanation it's time
for step number three read your explanation from start to finish are you noticing gaps in
your understanding does your definition make sense are there areas where you got stuck or
you didn't know what to write step three teaches you two important things first it shows you what
you do understand all the concise parts of your explanation demonstrate a partial understanding
of your subject if you made it that far then you're well on your way to mastering this topic
many people when challenged to explain a subject have no clue where to start if that sounds like
you that's okay too you don't have to understand your subject to use the feynman technique
this strategy is specifically designed to increase your knowledge over time no matter how well you
did just move on to step four step four is the most critical part of the learning process once
you've discovered the holes in your understanding you should return to the source material
re-read find new sources listen to explanations that experts give on your subject as you're
reading and listening to others you may stumble upon a startling realization when you practice
the feynman technique you learn to differentiate between knowing and understanding when you listen
to other people talk you can tell whether or not they understand what they're talking about
many people mask their misunderstandings with complicated vague and often meaningless jargon why
because they want to sound intelligent at the end of the day we all want to sound intelligent right
but that illusion rarely represents the person underneath if you can't wrap your head around
the subject then they may not understand the subject either you may find that people aren't
as intelligent as you thought they copy and recycle on a regular basis but most of the time
that's all it takes to sound smart other people are fooled by big words and fancy terminology
and the user falls for the same tricks they believe they understand what they're saying
even if they don't in day-to-day conversations the feynman technique gives you a sharp ear for
cover-ups and nonsense you'll distinguish between those who know and those who understand because
you've discovered what real understanding looks like ah but more importantly you'll learn when
you don't understand what you're talking about that in itself is a rare skill mastered by the
world's most intellectual individuals they can recognize the gaps in their knowledge few people
know this but recognizing when you're wrong is more valuable than recognizing when you're right
okay now let's get back to our four-step process let's say you've spent some time on step four
you've been re-reading and re-learning you filled the gaps in your understanding now you want to see
how much new knowledge you've absorbed the feynman technique is designed to be repeated when you've
learned more information you go back to step two you rewrite your initial explanation and
just like before you pretend that you're teaching the subject to someone who knows nothing about it
keep your language simple and your concepts clear this is really important when you repeat the
process start your explanation from the beginning don't just fill in the empty spaces that you left
the first time around why is this important well as your understanding becomes clearer and clearer
you'll discover better ways to phrase and explain your subject okay let's go back to our first
example how does gravity work at first it may make sense to explain gravity like this gravity is a
downward force created by the earth step three however exposed you to new knowledge you gained
a better understanding of gravity so during step four you explain gravity a little bit differently
this time you say gravity is a force created by any object with mass that pulls other objects
toward its center not only is this explanation more accurate it's also easier to understand
as you relearn and review your explanations will get better and more concise if your definition
isn't clear enough then start again learn more dive deeper try to explain your subject over and
over the further you push your understanding the more expansive your understanding will become you
may discover that one feynman technique branches into another as you're investigating gravity
for example you find out that you don't quite understand what mass is either so you start from
step one write what is mass at the top of the page and then you try your hand at a simple explanation
and just like that the feynman technique connects and branches into a web of explanations
if you can explain and define every concept in that web then you've moved one big step closer
to mastering your subject the feynman technique is one of the most universal mental models out there
it's great for academic learning but that's not all it can do you can use the feynman technique
to organize and explain your goals why do you want to achieve something why have you chosen
your career path each of these questions could be a subject that you know but you don't understand
so you write an explanation you make it simple and concise and then you figure out the gaps
in your understanding for many people that process provides motivation and clarity which push them in
the right direction you can also use the feynman technique to make decisions when faced with a
complicated choice use this method to clearly explain your options by boiling down your options
you may discover an answer so if you're ever faced with something confusing something you know but
you don't understand remember this four-step process the feynman technique is a universal
strategy to resolve your misunderstandings and develop true intellectual mastery hey thank you
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