Power of Insight

I shall try to explain what is Insight is in this post. Insight is simply another way to look at the problem. It is to discover a unique way of solving it.
Lets take an example. I am giving you this math problem to solve.
Consider that there are two cars facing each other and are 100kms apart.
The constant speed of car A is 60kmph. The car B has a speed of 40kmph. Exactly above car A is an eagle which has a constant speed of 80kmph.

The cars decide to crash into each other.

The eagle wants to touch each car alternatively and die when the cars crash. Assuming that there is no time lost when the eagle turns and all three travel at constant speed and all the three start at the same time, what will be the total distance travelled by the eagle untill it finally crashes between the two cars?

To most people, its a complex problem, the only way to solve it is to develop many simultaneous equations taking eagle distance as x and then solve it. Thats a complex and long route. Let me show you a shortcut. This shortcut is based on insight into the problem.

Simply ask a question how long will the eagle travel. Untill the cars crash. How long will it be untill the cars crash? 1 hour because they are located 100kms apart the sum total of their speed. How much distance can an eagle travel in 1 hour. Bingo you got the ans it is 80kms.

Lets take another example to understand Insight, There was a mid size soap manufacturing company which had completely automated its entire process from dough making to final packing of cakes. The packed boxes were automatically re-packed in large cartons and the cartons had to be just delivered to customers.

The company started receiving complaints that some individual soap boxes were empty, since the entire process was automated, nobody removed them from packed large cartons and it was delivered directly.

The management decided to purchase a new computerised machine that will do as follows:

a) Send very low frequency sound waves targetted at every individual small soap in quick succession. Aimed at the boxes moving towards the final packing area.

b) The empty boxes will reflect the sound waves but soap filled boxes will not reflect the waves to same extent. This is because soap cake inside will tend to absorb most of the waves.

C) based on the reflected waves, the computerised machine will recognise the empty boxes and a robotic arm will push it outside the line from going to the final packing area.

This was a customized machine to be built for the company and it cost them a fortune. They decided to hold all employee meet to explain their decision.

After the director made a brilliant presentation about the technicalities and features. One employee got up and said

Sir this is very simple problem. Why should we purchase the big machine. There is an old table fan in the factory. Why not keep it near the production line.  All empty soapboxes will be just blown down because of no weight inside them. Only filled ones will reach the packing area

Such is the power of Insight. The most complex problems can be solved with amazing and staggering simplicity...