Floating
down a river on a lazy afternoon... As infants, we had learned
to perceive. As children, we had learned how to move effectively
and go where we want. As adults, we learned how to navigate—even,
perhaps, down an unfamiliar river... |
"Drifting here, you learned to
perceive, not to preconceive, what makes a land beautiful..."
David
Brower
in
The
Place No One Knew
|
This column is an entry into
Knowledge
for Use.
A treasure hunt.
Watch for hidden surprises and
occult meanings. The treasure is a web of hidden passageways into
man's newly discovered realms in "rationality-space." It can extend your
knowledge into vast realms of usefulness that have been:
UNSEEN
The
boats below link to further depth.
Use
"Back" to return.
|
Perception
is a strange thing. What we see seems like just what's there.
Nothing more. Nothing less. |
1 Not
so!
(That
picture of the boats landing is a colorblind perception. Why?)
|
What
is colorblindness?
Two
very different perceptions |
Mother
Nature worked millions of years on our perceptions. We are born blind
and gradually become able to "see" just a little of our world. |
2 Mysteries
at
the edge of human comprehension
Dimensionality
Depth |
Children
mature into adults.
Children
mature into adults.
Science
is not just an alternative.
The
color curves of the cones. |
Science
is seeing deeper than anyone thought possible...just a few
centuries ago.
Collect
new and better mind tools to see science. |
3 Science
is
seeing...in
depth
Dimensionality is like the dots
on your computer screen. This insight digs deeper into dimensionality
than does the spatial thing we know so well. |
See
color as three kinds of dots.
See;
think
New
and better mind tools |
When
very young, we learned how to move effectively and go where we want.
Mankind travelled a long way in time before discovering the rules of the
road in space. |
4 The
Rules
of the road
As seen through our perceptions
of the abstract:
How and why does the boat
move?
Newton's First Law of Motion
|
See
a lot of first glances.
See
extrapolation to limits.
Research in physics education
Martin
Gardner's puzzles
|
Effective
rules of the road were first formulated by Isaac Newton. They are
mathematical rules. They are very simple. |
5 Simple
but
subtle
Boats sometimes hit rocks.
Boats might break.
Newton's Second Law of Motion
Newton's laws in law
|
F
= ma |
. |
5a
Newton's Second Law
of Motion
in the handball court
|
Who
understandsacceleration? |
We are
immersed in folklore and myths, fairy tales that entertain and comfort.
Some help us see. Some don't. |
6 The
simplest
and subtlest
of all
Newton's Third Law of Motion
|
A
first glance at the third law.
Mutual
reciprocity in the real world |