The Feynman Technique: Learn Anything in 4 Steps

Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist known for his ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. His lectures on physics are legendary not because they dumbed things down, but because they revealed deep understanding through clarity.

Feynman believed that if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't truly understand it. From this philosophy emerged the Feynman Technique, a four-step learning method that forces genuine comprehension rather than surface-level familiarity.

This technique is especially powerful for subjects that seem inherently confusing: physics, mathematics, programming, economics, biology. If you've ever felt like you "kind of" understand something but couldn't explain it to someone else, the Feynman Technique will change how you learn.

What is the Feynman Technique?

The Feynman Technique is a mental model for learning that uses teaching as the primary mechanism for understanding. Instead of passively consuming information, you actively process it by explaining it in simple language.

The core insight: Teaching exposes gaps in knowledge that passive studying hides.

When you read about a concept, it's easy to nod along and feel like you understand. But when you try to explain it without jargon or notes, you quickly discover what you actually know versus what you've merely encountered.

The Four Steps

Step 1: Choose a Concept

Pick a specific topic you want to understand. Be precise.

Bad choices:

• "Physics" (too broad)
• "Economics" (too vague)

Good choices:

• "How does compound interest work?"
• "What causes inflation?"
• "Why do objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass?"

Write the concept at the top of a blank page. This page will become your explanation.

Step 2: Explain It Like Teaching a Child

Write an explanation of the concept as if you were teaching it to a 12-year-old. This forces you to:

• Use simple, everyday language
• Avoid jargon and technical terms
• Build from fundamental ideas
• Use concrete examples and analogies

Rules for this step:

• If you must use a technical term, define it simply first
• Use "because" frequently to explain causation
• Include examples from everyday life
• Draw diagrams if they help

Example: Instead of "Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for cellular respiration and ATP synthesis," write:

"Mitochondria are tiny parts inside your cells that work like power plants. They take the food you eat and the oxygen you breathe and convert them into energy your body can use. Without them, your cells couldn't do anything—no moving, no thinking, no growing."

Step 3: Identify Gaps and Return to Source

As you write your explanation, you'll hit walls. Places where:

• Your explanation becomes vague or hand-wavy
• You realize you don't know why something works
• You can't think of a simple analogy
• You find yourself wanting to use jargon as a crutch

These gaps are gold. They show you exactly what you don't understand.

When you find a gap:

1. Mark it clearly
2. Return to your source material (textbook, lecture, video)
3. Study specifically to fill that gap
4. Return to your explanation and continue

Don't gloss over gaps. Each one represents a missing piece of genuine understanding.

Step 4: Simplify and Use Analogies

Once you've filled the gaps, review your explanation. Ask yourself:

• Is there any jargon I can eliminate?
• Can I make any sentence shorter?
• Are there better analogies available?
• Would a diagram make this clearer?

The goal: An explanation so clear that anyone could understand it.

Feynman was famous for his analogies. He explained quantum electrodynamics using the analogy of light as a drunk man walking, probabilities as arrows, and particles as explorers taking every possible path.

Great analogies:

• Connect the unknown to the known
• Preserve the essential relationships
• Make the abstract concrete

Why the Feynman Technique Works

It Forces Active Processing

Reading feels like learning but often isn't. Your brain is in passive mode, accepting information without deeply encoding it. Teaching forces active processing—you must organize, structure, and transform information.

This connects to the research on active recall. The Feynman Technique is essentially active recall plus explanation.

It Exposes Illusions of Competence

We frequently confuse familiarity with understanding. You've seen a concept many times, so you feel like you know it. But recognition is not the same as comprehension.

The Feynman Technique ruthlessly exposes this illusion. You either can explain something simply or you can't. There's no hiding.

It Creates Multiple Memory Paths

When you explain something in your own words, using your own analogies and examples, you create personal connections to the material. These connections serve as additional retrieval paths when you need to recall the information later.

It Builds Transferable Understanding

Surface-level understanding is brittle. You can answer questions phrased exactly like your textbook but struggle with novel applications. Deep understanding, the kind the Feynman Technique builds, transfers to new situations.

Applying the Feynman Technique to Different Subjects

Mathematics

1. Choose a specific concept (e.g., "derivatives")
2. Explain what it is and why it matters in plain language
3. Work through the mechanics step-by-step
4. Create visual representations
5. Generate your own example problems

Key: Don't just explain how to calculate something. Explain what it means and why it works.

Science

1. Focus on phenomena and mechanisms
2. Use analogies to everyday experiences
3. Draw diagrams of processes
4. Explain cause-and-effect relationships
5. Predict what would happen in hypothetical scenarios

Key: Science is about understanding how the world works. Your explanation should convey the "why" behind observations.

Programming

1. Explain what the code does in plain English first
2. Walk through logic step-by-step
3. Use analogies (variables are like boxes, functions are like recipes)
4. Explain why this approach works better than alternatives
5. Describe edge cases and how the code handles them

Key: If you can't explain your code to a non-programmer, you might not fully understand it yourself.

History and Social Sciences

1. Focus on cause-and-effect chains
2. Explain motivations and incentives
3. Use concrete examples and stories
4. Connect events to broader patterns
5. Explain why something happened, not just what happened

Key: History isn't about memorizing dates. It's about understanding how human decisions lead to consequences.

Combining the Feynman Technique with Other Methods

With the Cornell Method

The Cornell note-taking system pairs perfectly with the Feynman Technique:

1. Take initial notes in the right column during learning
2. Use the Feynman Technique to create simplified explanations
3. Add summary questions in the cue column
4. Write your Feynman-style summary at the bottom

Get our free Cornell Notes template to try this combination.

With Spaced Repetition

Use spaced repetition to schedule Feynman Technique reviews:

1. Day 1: Initial Feynman explanation
2. Day 3: Try explaining again without looking
3. Day 7: Explain to an actual person if possible
4. Day 14+: Periodic review and refinement

This combines the deep understanding of Feynman with the retention benefits of spacing.

With Active Recall

The Feynman Technique is a form of active recall, but you can enhance it:

1. Create your initial explanation
2. Wait a day
3. Try to recreate your explanation from memory
4. Compare with your original and note gaps
5. Refine and repeat

Practical Tips for Success

Start with a Blank Page

Don't start with your notes open. Begin with a blank page and write what you remember. This immediately shows you what you've actually retained.

Speak Out Loud

Verbal explanation often reveals gaps that writing misses. Explain concepts out loud, even if no one is listening. The act of speaking forces real-time organization.

Find a Study Partner

The ultimate test: actually teach someone else. Study groups where members take turns teaching are incredibly effective. You'll quickly see who really understands the material.

Record Yourself

If you can't find someone to teach, record yourself explaining the concept. Play it back. Where do you stumble? Where do you get vague?

Use Multiple Analogies

Different analogies highlight different aspects of a concept. If your first analogy doesn't quite capture everything, develop additional ones that fill the gaps.

Embrace the Struggle

The technique should feel difficult. If it feels easy, you're probably glossing over gaps. Lean into the discomfort—that's where learning happens.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using Jargon as a Crutch

It's tempting to use technical terms to sound smart or skip over difficult explanations. Resist this. If you can't explain it without jargon, you don't fully understand it.

Stopping at Surface Level

Don't settle for "what" explanations. Push for "why" and "how." Why does this work? How does this connect to other concepts?

Skipping the Gap-Filling Step

When you hit a wall in your explanation, don't just move on. That gap represents missing understanding. Go back to your sources and fill it.

Not Actually Writing It Down

Thinking through an explanation isn't the same as writing or speaking it. The act of producing forces organization that passive thinking doesn't achieve.

The Feynman Technique in Action: An Example

Let's apply the technique to "How do vaccines work?"

Step 1: Topic selected: "How do vaccines work?"

Step 2: Initial explanation:

"Your body has an immune system that fights germs. When a new germ enters your body, your immune system has to figure out how to fight it, which takes time. During that time, you get sick.

A vaccine is like a training exercise for your immune system. It shows your body a harmless version of a germ—either a dead germ, a weakened germ, or just a piece of one. Your immune system practices fighting this harmless version and remembers how to do it.

Later, if the real germ enters your body, your immune system already knows how to fight it. It can respond quickly before you get sick."

Step 3: Gaps identified:

• What exactly does the immune system "remember"? (Need to explain antibodies)
• Why don't you get sick from the vaccine itself?
• How long does this "memory" last?

Step 4: Refined explanation with gaps filled:

"Your immune system has special cells that create proteins called antibodies. Each antibody is shaped to fight one specific germ.

When a new germ enters your body, it takes time to create the right antibodies. During that time, the germ multiplies and you feel sick.

A vaccine contains a harmless version of a germ—dead, weakened, or just a piece of it. It's enough for your immune system to recognize but not enough to make you sick.

Your immune system creates antibodies to fight this practice target. More importantly, it creates memory cells that remember how to make those antibodies quickly.

If the real germ enters your body later, these memory cells immediately produce the right antibodies. The germ is destroyed before it can multiply enough to make you sick.

This memory typically lasts years or decades, though some vaccines need booster shots to refresh the memory."

Start Learning Like Feynman

The Feynman Technique requires more effort than passive reading. But that effort produces genuine understanding rather than the illusion of knowledge.

Pick one concept you're currently studying. Take out a blank piece of paper. Start explaining.

You'll quickly discover what you actually know—and what you need to learn.

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