See this page as a slide show
CS253 Understanding
Surface knowledge
- For some things, a surface-level knowledge is good enough.
- For example, almost everyone can use a television, without understanding
how the images are transmitted, through electromagnetic waves or a cable.
- Understanding how cable tv works doesn’t really enhance
the viewing experience, as long as you know how to:
- turn it on
- change the channel
- change the volume
- etc.
A bit deeper
- I can drive a car about as well as my father could.
- I know little about the workings of cars.
- Dad, on the other hand, was an automotive engineer.
- If the car breaks down:
- Jack would call for help.
- Dad would have a fair chance of fixing the car.
- Sometimes, deeper knowledge helps.
Levels
- Psychologist: I understand human emotions.
- Doctor: You understand nothing! I know the areas of the brain.
- Neurologist: You understand nothing! I know how neurons work.
- Chemist: You understand nothing! I know how chemical interactions work.
- Physicist: You understand nothing! I know how sub-atomic particles work.
- …
Correct Levels
- So, what’s the correct level of understanding?
- It varies, but it’s generally a bit deeper than everyday use.
- For example, it’s difficult to understand how unsigned overflow
works without understanding binary representation.
- Sure, you can just memorize that it’s
int a[4] and not
int[4] a, but once you understand that the declaration mimics
usage, you know that it can only be int a[4].
