What is Intuition: Definition and 274 Discussions

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; inner sensing; inner insight to unconscious pattern-recognition; and the ability to understand something instinctively, without any need for conscious reasoning.The word intuition comes from the Latin verb intueri translated as "consider" or from the late middle English word intuit, "to contemplate".

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. L

    Intuition behind this algebraic question

    Hi PF members! I'd like some guidance with the intuition behind the following problem. I have provided my intuition as far as I can below but if anyone can help clarify it I'd be very thankful. Question: Tickets to a concert cost $9.00 for adults and $6.50 for students. A total of 950...
  2. M

    Sketching Field Lines of f(r)r: A Guiding Intuition

    1. The problem statement, all variables and givenknown data Let r be a position vector from the origin (r=xi+yj+zk), whose magnitude is r, and let f(r) be a scalar function of r. Sketch the field lines of f(r)r Homework Equations 1 \nablax(\nabla\Psi)=0 2...
  3. S

    Simple example of Quaternion intuition

    Why is it that I can't describe with words the orientation of a 3D object (i.e. I can't give a set of angles that uniquely describe it). On the other hand, I can mimic fairly precisely it's orientation with my hand to describe it. A one dimensional object however, is easy to describe with an...
  4. S

    Orthogonality: intuition challenged.

    I'm dealing with image transforms.These are of course 2D. I always thought orthogonality was the same as perpendicularity, so the max number of orthogonal bases you could come up with in 2D is 2. However, image processing is full of transforms such as Hadamard, Haar, etc. that can have...
  5. J

    What is the intuition behind root mean square?

    From this website, http://www.analytictech.com/mb313/rootmean.htm It seems to it is more intuitive to just inverse all the sign to calculate the mean. But I can't get the idea of root mean square (equation can see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_mean_square) How is this idea...
  6. M

    Intuition for Covariant derivative of a Tensor Field

    Hi. I am attempting to gain some intuition for what the covariant derivative of a tensor field is. I have a good intuition about the covariant derivative of vector fields (measuring how the vector changes as you move in a particular direction), and I understand how to extend the covariant...
  7. W

    What must be defined and what must be left to intuition?

    Lately, I've been interested in logic, mainly to get answers to many questions I ask myself that I feel if left unanswered, I will never be satisfied with how I understand the way things work and are. One thing bothers me: I haven't found an author who makes a proper treatise of "where to...
  8. O

    Base conversion - the LOGIC and INTUITION behind it

    Base conversion -- the LOGIC and INTUITION behind it... for example, converting from base 10 to 2, a systematic way is to divide the number by 2's successively and keep track of the remainder. the remainder coefficients represent the binary number. Now why does this work is beyond me but I...
  9. R

    Intuition for countable vs. uncountable

    Is there any way to visualize what is happening here, or do we just have to rely on the definitions/theorems? 1. Every open segment of reals (a,b) is uncountable 2. Every open segment of reals contains a rational 3. cardinality(R) = cardinality(PowerSet(N)). So an uncountable set is...
  10. P

    Physical Intuition for Length Contraction

    I'm trying to get a physical intuition for length contraction (oxy moron) however is there any type of quantitative way of proving it? time dilation totally makes mathematical and physical sense to me, however length does not other then i ask does this basicly describe it: If both observers...
  11. S

    Exact Sequences: Intuition & Theory

    This is a very vague question, but I'd like to know whatever insights anyone could offer about exact sequences. What do they represent? Why are they so important? I'm studying homology right now, and exact sequences are central to the theory, but I've never seen them before. What is the...
  12. P

    How can one develop intuition for solving PDEs?

    Is it possible to develop intuitition for solving PDEs? If so how? At the moment they seem foreign to me and I don't really see the big picture which isn't helpful and limits my problem solving skills with regards to PDEs.
  13. Loren Booda

    Discovering Intuitive Velocity: Methods for Estimating Acceleration and Distance

    One may estimate acceleration by the force one experiences. One may judge distance by several methods - such as parallax, focus, and sound/sight divergence. What, however, is the most direct means of sensing one's velocity intuitively?
  14. Evo

    What is the 2-Variable Intuition Test?

    My score on The 2-Variable Intuition Test: ************************************** More Scientific (You have: 77% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and 70% EMOTIONAL INTUITION) The graph on the right represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored above average on...
  15. D

    What is the Role of Intuition in Various Areas of Knowledge?

    here is a project that I am doing for theory of knowledge: evaluate the roles of intuition in the areas of knowledge (ethics, mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, the arts and history) any thoughts? I've had problems finding resources to analyse, so any help would be great!
  16. K

    Mathematica Mastering Math Tricks: Unleashing Your Inner Mathematical Intuition

    Mathematical intuition?? Where are students expected to learn all the little algebra tricks that can turn unsolvable looking diff EQ's, integrals, laplace and inverse laplace problems into cakewalks? Things like adding 5+(-5) to the numerator or multiplying by just the right x/x to nudge a...
  17. S

    Bohr's Intuition: How He Knew Angular Momentum Without Proof

    there is no proof for the saying that the orbit in which an electron is moving is an integral multiple of angular momentum? how did bohr guess that it is angular momentum ;why didnot he try other angular variables? my question is how he knew angular momentum without any proof.
  18. B

    How Far Can One Advance with Intuition in Physics?

    Inspired by quasi426's thread :shy: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=84972, :shy: I wonder How far can one advance intuitively into physics...before he/she must accept/rely entirely on mathematics to predict/form conclusions on matters?
  19. Q

    Is Intuition Enough to Understand Physics?

    I was wondering if it at some point people get intuition on physics or do they always have to rely on the math to conclude things. How is this intuition gained, or is it just an innate ability?
  20. M

    Intuition in Science: A Philosophical Inquiry

    I definitely do not know anything about philosophy so i am asking, is philosophy essentially built on intuition? And are counter-intuitive arguments essentially wrong in the philosophical sense? Of course, it boils down to the question on what is intuition, we have things such as QM which are...
  21. J

    Test Your Intuition of Physical Principles with OutPost Game

    Here's a little game I wrote that uses a few basic physical principles. Test your intuition of momentum, (linear & angular), acceleration and force. http://www.martinelli.org/flash/OutPost.html Have fun!
  22. B

    Twisted forms and intuition.

    Can anyone suggest insight, or a course of study, that can improve understanding of twisted (or pseudo) forms. I have learned from reading Frankel and Burke, that half the forms used in physical theory are twisted, and though I've studied their chapters on the subject, my intuition is still...
  23. Y

    Physical intuition physics help

    Consider a horizontal string. There are SMALL vertical displacements. One is is fixed. The other is attached to a ring that slides on a frictionless pole. No calculation required. Initially, there is gravity. Using physical intuition, describe rougly what the equilibrium position looks...
  24. sheldon

    What is the true nature of intuition?

    I was wondering what exactly is intuition. I looked it up and basicly it is knowing without knowing. Like an instinctive knowledge. How can knowledge come from nowhere?
Back
Top