RE: computer history stories - Now: IQ, etc.

I have a simplistic view of things:

Knowledge = ideas linked by associations, purely intellectual in nature. You can do the word association game re. these, quite fun.

Understanding = experience involving the whole person, including movement, emotions and intellect. So to understand, you must go through the experience.

P.S. Are Orasoruses herbivores, or carnivores?

: )

Patrice Boivin
Systems Analyst (Oracle Certified DBA)

Systems Admin & Operations | Admin. et Exploit. des systèmes
Technology Services        | Services technologiques
Informatics Branch         | Direction de l'informatique 
Maritimes Region, DFO      | Région des Maritimes, MPO

E-Mail: boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca <mailto:boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Don Granaman [SMTP:granaman_at_home.com]
        Sent:   Wednesday, August 15, 2001 1:37 PM
        To:     Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
        Subject:        Re: computer history stories - Now: IQ, etc.

        Apologies for reviving a dead thread, but I was incommunicado for a
week and
        just now saw this rather interesting thread.  One of my pet rants is
about
        the difference between "knowledge" and "understanding".  I am not
sure of
        the clinical definitions of the words used in this discussion, but
will
        offer this postulation, in IT terms.



        "Knowledge" is essentially accumulated data.

        "Understanding" is more like the ability to process data.


        Of the two, understanding is far more valuable - and far more rare.

        I once had a physics professor/mentor who "invented" the
mathematical field
        of product calculus to support his doctoral research in physics.
(Note:


        "product" calculus - multiplying infinitesimal bits of stuff, not

adding.  I
        may be a geezer, but am not old enough to have studied under
Newton!)  The
        mathematical community was suitably impressed and told him that if
he would
        write up all the proofs and do the formal theory, the Field's medal
would be
        a certainty.  (There is no Nobel prize for Mathematics.  The Field's
medal
        is the equivalent.)  He replied that he was a tool user, not a tool
maker -
        that the only reason he did it was because appropriate tools did not
        previously exist.  He finished his doctorate in physics, others did
the
        mathematical background work, and nobody got the Field's medal for
product
        calculus.

        The moral is that he did not have the "knowledge" required, but did
have a
        very deep understanding of mathematics.  To compensate for this lack
of


        "knowledge", his own and other's, he used his understanding to

create new


        "knowledge".


        Another illustration...  In the beginning, there is trigonometry.
One has
        to memorize lots of half-angle formulae, double-angle formulae, ad
nausem.
        Pure knowledge - just plug in values and crank out answers.  Further
down
        the line, one learns Euler's equation and how to effectively use it.
        Usually, that static data - all those formulae - get purged from
primary
        memory.  If one needs them, they can be easily derived in a few
minutes - a
        much more powerful technique.  There is little sense cluttering up
valuable
        primary memory with such trivia.

        In the field of Oracle database administration, some knowledge is
essential.
        However, understanding is the seminal distinction between the lower
and
        higher levels of expertise.  After all, how many of the most
challenging
        situations you have been in, or toughest projects you have done,
could have
        been well handled on the basis of knowledge alone?  Knowledge will
only get
        you so far.  Serious critical reasoning skills are required to
transcend the
        existing knowledge barrier.  Consider also in this context the large
and
        firmly entrenched knowledge base about ratio-based tuning versus
more
        reasoned wait-based tuning.

        (setq minor-rant-mode ON)
        This is my main complaint about the OCP program.  The tests are
almost
        exclusively "knowledge based".  The old Chauncey exams had a much
higher


        "understanding" requirement.

        (setq minor-rant-mode OFF)

        -Don Granaman
        [certifiable Orasaurus]

        ("Real life" doesn't have the correct answers in the back.)

        ----- Original Message -----
        To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>
        Sent: Monday, August 06, 2001 1:39 PM


        > IQ from what I understand is COMPLETELY related to how fast you
learn.
        >
        > IQ is your ability to learn, nothing to do with how "Smart" you
are.
        >
        > Smart is how much you know, nothing to do with how you learn.
        >
        > "Do not criticize someone until you walked a mile in their shoes,
that way
        > when you criticize them, you are a mile a way and have their
shoes."
        >
        > Christopher R. Spence  OCP  MCSE MCP A+ RAPTOR CNA
        > Oracle DBA
        > Phone: (978) 322-5744
        > Fax:    (707) 885-2275
        >
        > Fuelspot
        > 73 Princeton Street
        > North, Chelmsford 01863


        -- 
        Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
        -- 
        Author: Don Granaman
          INET: granaman_at_home.com

        Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051
        San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / Mailing
Lists
        --------------------------------------------------------------------
        To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
        to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
        the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
        (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may
        also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

--
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
--
Author: Boivin, Patrice J
  INET: BoivinP_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051
San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may
also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).