4. Intuition vs Rational Reasoning
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• Merriam-Webster: `a natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something
without any proof or evidence: a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without
fully understanding why’
• The Free Dictionary: `knowledge or belief obtained neither by reason nor by perception,
instinctive knowledge or belief, a hunch or unjustified belief’
Deductive
Reasoning,
Mathematical
Proof, inference
Intuition, Instinct,
Hunch,
Imagination
Adversaries or Complementary Powers of Acquiring and Applying Knowledge?
5. Success stories: First Controlled Human Flight, 1903
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• U.S. patent, `…invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying
machine's surfaces…’, Orville and Wilbur Wright.
• Invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively
and to maintain its equilibrium. (fundamental breakthrough, INNOVATION)
• Using a small, homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data
than any before. (Aerodynamics experimentation and mathematical analysis)
• Gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop
with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. (Practical manufacturing
skills)
• Their work with bicycles in particular, influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like
a flying machine could be controlled and balanced after continuous practice (BELIEF,
INTUITION creating their DRIVING FORCE for experimentation and further analysis)
6. Success stories: Fly-ball Governor, 1788
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• James Watt patented (INNOVATION) a form of governor in 1788 to control the speed of
his steam engine, and James Clerk Maxwell in 1868 described "component motions"
associated with these governors that lead to a decrease in a disturbance or the amplitude
of an oscillation. (Stability Analysis using Differential Equations, 80 years later)
• `…whose improvements to the Newcomen
steam engine were fundamental to the changes
brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his
native Great Britain and the rest of the world.’
• ‘…Watt began to experiment with steam,
though he had never seen an operating steam
engine. He tried constructing a model…’
• `…Understanding of the steam engine was in a
very primitive state, for the science
of thermodynamics would not be formalized for
nearly another 100 years.’
Did ENGINEERING
INTUITION (coupled
with
experimentation
and prototype
modeling) help?
7. Success stories: Negative feedback Amplifier, 1927
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• US Patent 2,102,671 "Wave Translation System", which was issued to Bell Laboratories in
1937, covering the negative feedback amplifier. (Harold Black)
• `…he got his inspiration to invent the negative
feedback amplifier when he was traveling
from New Jersey to New York City by taking a
ferry to cross the Hudson River in August 1927.’
• ‘…One reason for the delay (Patent) was that
the concept was so contrary to established
beliefs that the Patent Office initially did not
believe it would work.’
• `…The Nyquist stability criterion developed
by Harry Nyquist (1932) of Bell Laboratories is
used to study the stability of feedback
amplifiers.’ (Mathematical Analysis lagging
Inspiration by 5 years)
Did ENGINEERING
INTUITION (fuelled by
imagination and
inspiration contrary to
established beliefs) help?
8. Learning and Doing Engineering – Balance Reasoning and Intuition
Intuition can only be enhanced while complementing deductive
reasoning processes
04/04/2015 NIDays 2015, Beirut, Lebanon 8
Playing and
having fun
Communication
and creative
expression
LEARNING
AND DOING
ENGINEERING
Mathematical
Analysis
Deductive
Reasoning
Experimentation
Modeling and
prototyping
Practical
manufacturing
skills
Software
modeling and
simulation
9. Learning Environment for Engineering
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• Problem – Based Learning: Simulate the Learning Environment of the numerous
success stories of theoretical and applied innovation in Engineering throughout the
centuries.
• Creation and adoption of Engineering Problems (Artificial and Natural) in Design,
Analysis, Experimentation, Simulation, Manufacturing, Prototyping to cover the
required Learning Outcomes within a field of Engineering.
• Learning starts with the Formulation of an Engineering Problem (e.g. in Electronics):
• Design a PID controller using operational amplifiers to control…
• Design a Low-Pass filter using … to …
• Given the power electronics circuit, test it and measure its efficiency…
• Build a simulation model of a half-wave rectifier circuit using …
• Implement an algorithm using PLCs to control …
• Implement a control algorithm on an embedded platform to control…
• Implement a communications system to control remotely…
10. Learning Basic Electronics
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• Problem: Design and test a passive RC filter (Design, Application of Electrical Laws,
Analogy between electrical and fluid systems to enhance intuition)
12. Learning Basic Electronics
04/04/2015 NIDays 2015, Beirut, Lebanon 12
• Problem: Design and test a passive RC filter (Test and analyze the circuit, Critically
evaluate the theory-experiment gap)
13. Learning Basic Electronics
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• Problem: Build and test a half-wave rectifier circuit (Design and analyze the circuit)
15. Learning Basic Electronics
04/04/2015 NIDays 2015, Beirut, Lebanon 15
• Problem: Build and test a half-wave rectifier circuit (Test and analyze the circuit,
Critically evaluate the theory-experiment gap)
16. Learning more advanced Electronics
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• Problem: Apply frequency response analysis for active filters (Bode diagram)
17. Learning more advanced Electronics
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• Problem: Implementing Control Algorithms on an Embedded Platform
18. Recipe for Enhancing Engineering Intuition
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• Step 1: Provide a problem to the student, such that the student can only use a limited
amount of analysis tools and a limited amount information. (Theoretical knowledge is
always an approximation to Reality)
• Step 2: Motivate the student to acquire more information or evaluate the theory through
prototype modeling, software simulation and experimentation. (Application of Practical
Skills to enhance knowledge)
• Step 3: Motivate the student to assess the gap between theoretical knowledge and
practical experience. (Critical Comparison between Theory and Experimental observations)
• Step 4: Motivate the student to provide an explanation for the difference between the
theoretical analysis and the experimental results. (Intuition)
…the student will naturally resort to
her/his INTUITION initially, rather than a
formal analytical reasoning.
Being on the edge of their theoretical
knowledge, they will allow
INTUITION to become the driving force
for further enhancement of knowledge.
19. Recipe for Enhancing Engineering Intuition
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Theoretical
analysis and
design
Practical testing
and
experimentation
LEARNING
Critical evaluation
of theory-
experiment gap
ENGINEERING INTUITION
20. Conclusions
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• Engineering Learning Problem: Create or Adopt a Problem, and combine the
activities of theoretical analysis, experimentation and critical evaluation of the theory-
experiment gap. Allow INTUITION to provide the driving and adhesive force for
implementing successive iterations in minimizing this gap.
21. 04/04/2015 NIDays 2015, Beirut, Lebanon 21
Acknowledgements:
• John Leek (Faculty, BP Electronics Major)
• David Krause (Faculty, BP Electronics Major)
• Conor Sheedy (Faculty, BP Electronics Major)
THANK YOU
Questions?
