Often the great scientists, by turning the problem around a bit, changed a defect to an asset. For example, many scientists when they found they couldn't do a problem finally began to study why not. They then turned it around the other way and said, "But of course, this is what it is" and got an important result.
Interpretation
Great scientists often transform obstacles into advantages by reframing their perspectives on problems.
The quote by Richard Hamming highlights the innovative mindset of great scientists who, when faced with challenges, don't just seek to solve problems directly. Instead, they analyze the reasons behind their difficulties, leading to a deeper understanding and often revealing essential insights that can turn a perceived failure into a significant success.
In practice
During a scientific conference, one might share this quote to illustrate how researchers can harness challenges for breakthroughs.
When you are famous it is hard to work on small problems. This is what did [Claude Elwood] Shannon in. After information theory, what do you do for an encore? The great scientists often make this error. They fail to continue to plant the little acorns from which the mighty oak trees grow. They try to get the big thing right off. And that isn't the way things go. So that is another reason why you find that when you get early recognition it seems to sterilize you.
Science is composed of laws which were originally based on a small, carefully selected set of observations, often not very accurately measured originally; but the laws have later been found to apply over much wider ranges of observations and much more accurately than the original data justified.
Does anyone believe that the difference between the Lebesgue and Riemann integrals can have physical significance, and that whether say, an airplane would or would not fly could depend on this difference? If such were claimed, I should not care to fly in that plane.
If you don't work on important problems, it's not likely that you'll do important work.
Beware of finding what you're looking for._x000D_ _x000D_ A favorite aphorism he often used.
One of the characteristics of successful scientists is having courage. Once you get your courage up and believe that you can do important problems, then you can. If you think you can't, almost surely you are not going to.
For centuries, magicians have intuitively taken advantage of the inner workings of our brains.
Agriculture is the backbone of the livelihood security system of nearly 700 million people in the country and we need to build our food security on the foundation of home grown food.
Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
Evolution could so easily be disproved if just a single fossil turned up in the wrong date order. Evolution has passed this test with flying colours.
Vegetation is really controlling what happens...whereas the emphasis in the climate models has always been on the atmosphere.
What we observe as material bodies and forces are nothing but shapes and variations in the structure of space.
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