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| The Nature of a Solution |
The Nature of a Solution
An essential aspect of dealing with a problem is determining the characteristics of the solution that are looking for. If you do not know what a solution looks like, how will you know when you are making progress towards it? How will you know when your problem is solved?
Note that a solution for one person can create a problem for another. You can irrigate your fields by damming a stream that crosses your property, but then farmers downstream may suffer from a lack of water. The development of electronic calculators led to accurate and inexpensive devices for routine calculations, but made it necessary for educators to re-examine the mathematics curriculum.
Not all problems can be solved. If you want to flap your arms and fly to the Moon, you are bound to be disappointed. Not all problems are within your control. If you want the stock market to go up 1000 points next week, it could happen, but your influence would probably have little effect.
The range of problems that you can successfully tackle also depends on the priorities that you assign to various problems, and your skills in managing your time and resources. You could devote your time and energy to solving a thousand calculus problems next week, but that would detract from your efforts to complete a bestselling
novel.
Solving a problem can be beyond the capabilities of your current resources. Coping with an invasion of locusts is beyond the resources of any individual farmer. The task of building a robot to perform brain surgery is beyond the current capabilities of doctors and engineers.
The solution to a problem can change with time. The goals of warfare used to be simple: ‘crush your enemy and steal all you can’. In the 20th century the goals of warfare became more complex: ‘crush your enemy, steal all you can, and then convert your defeated foe into a stable friend that will support your own government’s future policies’. That third component of modern warfare was neglected at the end of World War I, and that neglect led directly to World War II.
A solution to a problem may involve developing a procedure such as how to repair a leaky faucet or how to land a damaged airplane. A solution may involve containing a situation such as preventing the spread of spilt milk, or stopping the spread of a new disease. A solution may involve just working towards a goal, such as reducing the number of weeds in your lawn.
An essential aspect of dealing with a problem is determining the characteristics of the solution that are looking for. If you do not know what a solution looks like, how will you know when you are making progress towards it? How will you know when your problem is solved?
Note that a solution for one person can create a problem for another. You can irrigate your fields by damming a stream that crosses your property, but then farmers downstream may suffer from a lack of water. The development of electronic calculators led to accurate and inexpensive devices for routine calculations, but made it necessary for educators to re-examine the mathematics curriculum.
Not all problems can be solved. If you want to flap your arms and fly to the Moon, you are bound to be disappointed. Not all problems are within your control. If you want the stock market to go up 1000 points next week, it could happen, but your influence would probably have little effect.
The range of problems that you can successfully tackle also depends on the priorities that you assign to various problems, and your skills in managing your time and resources. You could devote your time and energy to solving a thousand calculus problems next week, but that would detract from your efforts to complete a bestselling
novel.
Solving a problem can be beyond the capabilities of your current resources. Coping with an invasion of locusts is beyond the resources of any individual farmer. The task of building a robot to perform brain surgery is beyond the current capabilities of doctors and engineers.
The solution to a problem can change with time. The goals of warfare used to be simple: ‘crush your enemy and steal all you can’. In the 20th century the goals of warfare became more complex: ‘crush your enemy, steal all you can, and then convert your defeated foe into a stable friend that will support your own government’s future policies’. That third component of modern warfare was neglected at the end of World War I, and that neglect led directly to World War II.
A solution to a problem may involve developing a procedure such as how to repair a leaky faucet or how to land a damaged airplane. A solution may involve containing a situation such as preventing the spread of spilt milk, or stopping the spread of a new disease. A solution may involve just working towards a goal, such as reducing the number of weeds in your lawn.
