Book quiz
A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science Quiz
A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and ScienceBarbara OakleyBarbara Oakley failed mathematics at school and was sure it was not for her. Today she is an engineering professor. In this book she explains learning: why we get stuck on problems, how rereading can mislead us, and how to stop putting difficult things off.
Question 1 of 5
In Oakley's model, how does the diffuse mode of thinking differ from the focused one?
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Right answer: Thought travels further and may find an unexpected link
In diffuse mode, thought travels further and can hit an unexpected connection. Well-worn paths and familiar problems belong to the focused mode instead.
Question 2 of 5
According to Oakley, when do a walk or sleep help solve a hard problem?
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Right answer: When you have worked on it with focus beforehand
The diffuse mode needs material. Focused work on the problem has to come first; without it, rest has nothing to work on.
Question 3 of 5
The internet is down, the router has been restarted three times, and the bill is unpaid. Which trap would Oakley name?
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Right answer: Einstellung: the first guess hid the others
The Einstellung effect: an idea already in your head blocks a better one. It helps to ask what happens if the starting assumption is wrong.
Question 4 of 5
According to Oakley, what turns scattered steps into a chunk?
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Right answer: Grasping the main idea and practicing
The path to a chunk: focus, grasp the main idea, then practice. Understanding without practice does not build a chunk, and neither does practice without understanding.
Question 5 of 5
A whole wardrobe needs sorting, and you do not feel like starting. What would Oakley suggest?
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Right answer: Set a timer for twenty-five minutes and begin
Thinking about the result can scare you off, while a process like twenty-five minutes of work is easier to bear. The bad feeling is stronger before starting than during.
Want all of the book's key ideas? Read or listen to its retelling in Livria.