How/When do you get to the point of solving textbooks easily?

[random_soldier1337]

So I was having a discussion with one of my teachers and they mentioned along the way in my PhD, I would learn how to formulate and/or understand where a question is coming from, be able to solve it and know exactly when I arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

This would be quite a handy skill to develop from the get go itself, if I did not misconstrue the meaning. Any/all here know what I am speaking of and how I would inculcate such an ability?

[CharonY]

It sounds a bit vague and I am especially confused about the textbook part. A textbook generally does not provide questions that need solving, if you are not in class anymore or in a PhD program. Rather they will become repositories to check some basic things. If research questions are meant then yes indeed, you will learn to a) identify open questions, b) reformulate these questions into testable hypotheses or at least smaller research questions that can be addressed, c) select or develop an utilize methods and approaches to tackle these smaller chunks of question and hopefully d) arrive to some satisfactory answers to the formulated research hypotheses (usually it ain't that smooth, though).

For a) much of it is obtained by gaining familiarity with the subject matter (aka reading papers). Thereby you learn what is known to which degree and you can identify the open questions.

b) and c) depends on the technical skill sets that you develop in your discipline and in experimental disciplines much of it is based on lab techniques you learn. Folks from different disciplines are likely to use slightly different approaches even when approaching the same subject.

d) requires doing the work, tons of troubleshooting (in experimental sciences) and even more reading to make sense out of it (and usually going back in the lab).

 

[random_soldier1337]

I might have been mistaken. Though from what I recall, it was in response to my frustration for one of my class texts neither stating final values for questions anywhere nor any solution manual available to order.

I'm still currently in my first year and taking courses. Some of them have very few textbooks to begin with let alone anything to check against once a problem is completed.

As far as what you have mentioned, that is pretty much the answer I got. I guess it is more with regard to formal research.

[studiot]

12 hours ago, random_soldier1337 said:

So I was having a discussion with one of my teachers and they mentioned along the way in my PhD, I would learn how to formulate and/or understand where a question is coming from, be able to solve it and know exactly when I arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

This would be quite a handy skill to develop from the get go itself, if I did not misconstrue the meaning. Any/all here know what I am speaking of and how I would inculcate such an ability?

Sounds like a tremendous skill to have.

 

One of the biggest shocks in my working life was the first time I  out on site and the realisation that the measurements and calculations I was making would would immediately put into practice and used for something.
And there was no textbook to check the answers against,
If I said, dig from "here to here", the hole would be pretty smartly dug.
So if my calculations were wrong then the hole would be wrong.
And the responsibility would be mine.

[random_soldier1337]

I see your point. I just can't see how one is to get to that stage without having had practice in a "less strict" environment.