I have a teeshirt from a friend. It portrays a cat playing with a ball of string. It says “String Theory Research.”
Fleur asked: What does that say?
So, I read it. It didn’t register, so I started to explain:
Everything we touch and feel are made up of these teeny, tiny so small no one can even see them strings…
She changed the subject.
This interaction reminded me of a saying that if you cannot explain something to a 6 year old, then you do not really understand it. Some claim Einstein said. He said a certain topic was not teachable to undergraduates. Feynman was closer in saying if can’t explain in very simple terms, you don’t understand it.
25 years ago, I did some work in a classroom assisting the teacher. After teaching the Solar System, she lamented that I wasn’t doing Elementary Education because I was gifted at helping others understand. Others have said similar.
I love to explain things. So Fleur will roll her eyes. But some things will get through.
Polymath Parent 