What is the first hole in understanding that needs to be overcome?
The first hole in understanding occurs when a person does not know what the subject is all about, and why he should be studying it. The hole remains a hole even when he fills it with assumptions.
Mathematics is not just about avoiding to get short-changed at the grocery store. The subject of mathematics fills the need for accurate measurement and rational thinking to appreciate what is there. Mere introduction of counting brought great advance to the civilization. Mathematics helps one think in a clear and precise manner.
Physics or science is not just about inventing mechanical gadgets for our comfort. The subject of physics fills the need to observe nature objectively without bias, prejudice, fixed ideas, assumptions and blind faith. Physics is designed to steer one away from subjectivity and to look at things objectively without filters.
Metaphysics or spirituality is not just about surviving as spirit and thinking that one is immortal. The subject of metaphysics fills the need for grasping the universe. It steers one away from self-centric viewpoints and helps one acquire a universal viewpoint. Metaphysics looks at both the observed and the observer at once.
When studying a subject ask yourself, “What is this subject all about?” “Why should I be studying it?” “Am I putting something there that shouldn’t be there?”
A person drops out of High School because the confusion generated by his schooling seems to be increasing exponentially. He feels hopeless about learning. He can’t see any benefit from continuing in school. So he drops out.
What underlies that confusion are the holes in his understanding. He may start out with just a few holes in Kindergarten. But such holes, when not resolved, multiply to become significant by the end of the elementary school. The student tries to overcome the lack of understanding by memorizing his school materials. But such evasion serves only to increase those holes in his understanding. Even memorization fails to get good grades by the end of the middle school. That is when parents scramble to get the student tutored.
Teachers and after-school help focus only on the confusion related to his present grade. Overcoming confusion from earlier grades appears to be such a daunting task that it is not even attempted. But as long as those earlier holes are not filled, they keep on multiplying exponentially during the high school years until the student simply drowns in the resulting confusion.
When you sit down to help this student, you find that he can’t tell you coherently what he doesn’t know. Even when you know that these confusions may depend on just a few holes in student’s understanding from way back, you find the situation to be unsolvable. The student’s attention is so fixed on the present confusion that he cannot trace anything back. This has been the problem all along. One-on-one troubleshooting works but it is a hit and miss affair and not efficient enough.
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Logical Remedy
The subject of this essay is an idea that seems to handle this dilemma. Any subject, whether it is mathematics or language-arts, begins from some important need. As observations follow that need, the subject develops slowly to form a structure based on logic. We may trace the logic of the subject all the way to a beginning premise. The later concepts develop out of the earlier concepts. Obviously, it would be difficult to understand the later concepts if earlier concepts are not understood.
This brings up a parallel between arrangement of holes in the student’s mind and the flow of logic in a subject. It is the filling of earlier holes that makes it possible to resolve the present confusion. Similarly, it is the understanding of earlier concepts that make it possible to comprehend the later ones.
The simple idea is to follow the logic of a subject to discover and resolve the earliest holes in the understanding of the student. It is then easy to come forward resolving rest of the holesin a logical sequence.
We seem to have found a simple and straight forward method to resolve confusion in any student quite rapidly and efficiently. When we applied this idea to a group of school dropouts, it worked like a charm. The students soon discovered the earliest difficulty they had with the subject. They knew the source of their difficulty now, and were eager to resolve it. This quickly established a two-way dialog and eager participation.
Getting that two-way dialog going was the first breakthrough. We knew how to approach the confusion; but we soon discovered that we had a tiger by the tail. We needed better planning to handle that confusion.
It was like putting an accident victim through a planned rehab.
In Quantum Physics, we are looking at an area where observation without bias means more than any education. We should be willing to question earlier assumptions, when they become obvious.
Our concept of space comes from dimensions of matter. Does the same concept of dimension apply to field? Suppose there is no matter but only field. How will we conceive of dimensions then?
Does an electromagnetic disturbance travel in space? Or is it a varying condition of space itself. Is “c” really the “speed” of light in “space”, or is it a constant relationship between space and time as represented by constant ratio of wavelength to period of electromagnetic disturbance?
If the frequency associated with electromagnetic disturbance is that of space itself vibrating, then we cannot look at the amplitude as some “distance”. With this kind of questioning I have upset people with traditional thinking who have accused me of keeping company of crackpots. But I do not believe traditional thinking is so sacred that it cannot be questioned.
I believe that truth lies in logical consistency. The Heisenberg Principle to me presents a logical inconsistency as it did to Einstein. It assumes that a location in a field could be approximated by a Euclidean point. I believe that to be logically inconsistent.
A location in a field has dimension of the “wavelength” of the disturbance that makes up that field.
