Understanding, Understanding 

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Astronomy Q&A		 A few weeks ago as I sat testing my "knowledge" while watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" I was able to answer a $250,000 astronomy question. To thicken the plot of this little story I will tell you that I, once upon a time, received a "D" in an undergrad astronomy class. Do I consider myself to be "knowledgeable" in the area of astronomy? No, absolutely not. Did my professor at the time find me "knowledgeable" in this area of study? Obviously not, my inability to remember how many moons each planet has and all of their names earned me that illustrious "D".

But, I digress. On a good day using an elementary mnemonic device I could possibly name the planets in order starting with Mercury and working my way out to Pluto or Neptune, depending on what year we are talking about. If you asked me other astronomy questions I would be able to give you a "D" answer.

Obviously, I would not be the person to use as a lifeline if you were in the hot seat, staring blankly at an astronomy questions. On this given night however, those who were in the room with me, thought me to be quite "knowledgeable" in the area on astronomy. Scary thought, I know!

After reading the article "Understanding, Understanding" I can honestly admit that I, like everyone else on the face of the planet (the third planet from the sun by the way) have managed to "get through" any number of "courses without acquiring a clear understanding of some of the most fundamental aspects of the material the courses" were intending to cover. Rehashing my past high school and college mathematical classes at this time would provide one with a plethora of examples of my ability to "get through" a class without a complete grasp of "fundamental aspects".

It was not until a few years ago when I was, of all things, an English major that I began to draw "analogies" with the "knowledge" I was acquiring. Drawing analogies and making connections has enabled me to function with a "reasonable, workable sense of understanding". Nickerson's discussion of "Understanding and Analogies" struck a cord with me. It is the analogies and parallels that we draw between the information that we already have with the on going amount of information that all of us receive on a daily basis that helps us to understand the ever changing world around us.

Ones ability to adjust and "build bridges from one conceptual domain to another" could possibly keep us out of the black hole of knowledge. Where, no light exists and one comes to realize "how profound one's ignorance really is." The way I rationalize this dismal thought is with the "knowledge" that my ignorance could have landed me $250,000 dollars. Ah, sometimes ignorance really is bliss!

The most important message that I ascertained from this article was the fact that everyone has different degrees of "knowledge". "What appears to be simple to one individual may appear to be quite complex to another. Thus, as we move into the future with technology being paramount, the ability to make connections and draw analogies will be an asset, if not a necessity. As designers we will need to keep sight of the "paradox of knowledge" and try to help those who we are designing for from falling in a dark, inaccessible black hole. Making sure our users have a firm, fundamental grasp of our products will enable the users to succeed with our well designed, well thought out products and to truly gain an "understanding" from them.

If it was not for my "elementay" astronomy backround and a bit of sci-fi reading I would not have truly know that $250,000 question - "What two planets are most asteroids located between?" In sum, a good foundation and a few analogies could make you a millionaire!