How We Solve Things: The Problem-Solving Hierarchy

Problem solving Optimization Efficiency Disciplines Mathematics Perspective Solutions Creativity

Engineering Math Science Scientists

4 months ago 9,723 views 0 shares

How We Solve Things: The Problem-Solving Hierarchy

problem-solving-memes, engineering-memes, science-memes, optimization-memes, efficiency-memes | ScienceHumor.io

The perfect illustration of problem-solving across disciplines! Citizens are like "let's just connect the dots with 5 simple lines and call it a day." Scientists take it a step further with 4 lines but make it all fancy with those intersecting diagonals because... SCIENCE! But engineers? They're playing 4D chess with reality! Three parallel lines that somehow extend into infinity because why solve a problem normally when you can bend spacetime? It's like watching evolution of problem-solving in real-time - from "good enough" to "mathematically elegant" to "I'll literally warp physics to make this work with fewer resources." Next time your engineer friend "optimizes" something simple into an eldritch horror of efficiency, you'll know why!

More Like This

I Like All My STEM Friends Equally

Engineering Physics Academia Science

5 months ago 12.3K views 0 shares

I Like All My STEM Friends Equally

The eternal STEM rivalry continues! This meme brilliantly captures the hierarchy that secretly exists in science fields. The engineer gets silenced while the physicist gets to speak - a perfect representation of how theoretical physicists think they're the intellectual elite of STEM. It's that moment in every interdisciplinary meeting when the physicist starts explaining why their equations are more fundamental than your actual working prototype. Meanwhile, mathematicians are probably off-screen wondering why anyone bothers with real-world applications at all.

From Classroom Hero To Industry Zero

Engineering Academia Tech

1 month ago 6.3K views 0 shares

From Classroom Hero To Industry Zero

Engineering internship reality check! That moment when you think your SolidWorks skills are dragon-level impressive, but the senior engineers are completely unimpressed by your basic CAD abilities. Meanwhile, your university is hiding in the bushes cheering you on like "YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE!" despite sending you into the battlefield with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. The gap between academic confidence and industry standards is a canyon filled with tears and imposter syndrome!

Math Major's Small Angle Betrayal

Engineering Math Academia Physics

3 months ago 9.6K views 0 shares

Math Major's Small Angle Betrayal

That look of pure mathematical betrayal! The small angle approximation (sin x ≈ x for x near zero) is actually a legitimate mathematical shortcut used in physics and engineering. But to a math major, this is like saying "2+2≈4.1 is close enough." They've spent years proving theorems with rigorous precision only to watch someone casually commit mathematical heresy. The Taylor series expansion of sin(x) is x - x³/3! + x⁵/5! - ..., so technically the approximation has some merit, but that death stare says "I didn't suffer through Real Analysis for you to butcher calculus like this."

The Original Unbothered Genius

Engineering Physics Scientists Science Tech

1 month ago 10.3K views 0 shares

The Original Unbothered Genius

That's Nikola Tesla casually reading a book while creating artificial lightning with his Tesla coil, like it's just another Tuesday at the office. The man was literally sitting in a room with millions of volts crackling around him thinking "hmm, yes, this chapter is getting interesting." Meanwhile, I get nervous when my phone battery hits 10%. Tesla was that perfect mix of brilliant and slightly unhinged that makes for the best scientists. He'd generate these massive electrical discharges and just vibe there, probably thinking about how Edison was a jerk while electricity danced around him. The ultimate power move in the history of scientific rivalries.

When Your Calculator Was On Radian Mode

Engineering Math Academia Science

3 months ago 7.7K views 0 shares

When Your Calculator Was On Radian Mode

The nightmare scenario that haunts every trigonometry student! Your brain wakes you up at 2 AM with the horrifying realization that your calculator was set to radians instead of degrees (or vice versa). Suddenly, that perfect homework you submitted is mathematically catastrophic - like calculating a rocket trajectory and accidentally landing on Mars instead of the Moon. The difference between π/2 radians and 90 degrees might seem trivial until you've spent 3 hours solving complex equations with the wrong angle units. The mathematical equivalent of putting salt in your coffee instead of sugar!

The Graphene Goliath Slayer

Engineering Materials Research Science Physics

2 months ago 9.3K views 0 shares

The Graphene Goliath Slayer

Behold the eternal battle of materials science funding! On the left, we have elaborate lab setups costing millions—vacuum chambers, zero-gravity simulators, cryogenic equipment—all to develop some fancy new material. And on the right? Just graphene, a single atom-thick carbon sheet that keeps outperforming everything while researchers doodle it with pencils. Twenty years of "graphene will revolutionize everything" papers later, and we're still using the same overpriced pens. The universe has a twisted sense of humor when a 2D material with the thickness of literally nothing consistently humiliates our most expensive research equipment.