ABSTRACT
This chapter is about why a roomful of PhDs (bar one) could not solve this problem. In particular it elaborates on the point made in the last chapter that we often do not represent a problem completely. That is, there is often something missing from our representation of a problem, such as the fact that you can open a book; or, indeed, that our representation of a problem may be totally inappropriate. Another point to be made is that intelligence does not necessarily guarantee successful problem solving. In examples such as the one above, the answer is “obvious”, there is no missing bit of knowledge that prevents people from solving it. Finally, this everyday example of problem solving is one where one can imagine a lightbulb lighting up above someone’s head as the person suddenly realises what to do. This lightbulb blinking on-the “Aha!” experience-is known as insight.
