The Input-Output-Machine of Life, Math, Learning & You: Partie un de trois - LIFE!

Any Input put into -> A Machine -> Gives an Output.

Today’s article on MATH by EDISON reinforces much of what I’ve written about for the last year, that understanding strategies on how to learn math is the key to getting closer to your Objective in math.

The Input-Output-Machine of Life

The Input-Output-Machine is a key commonality that exists between Life, Math, Learning & You. Input-Output-Machine is the name I’ve given it to help my students learn and understand math better; there may be other names.

1️⃣ Today, Objective of Partie un (Part one)? Have you understand* how the Input-Output-Machine works in life.

2️⃣ Tomorrow is Partie deux de trois (Part two of three), math! Will have you understand* how the Input-Output-Machine shows up everywhere in math.

3️⃣ Next week, final part, Partie trois de trois is understanding* Learning & You.

*Understanding means it makes sense to you; that’s my objective. Understanding also means you can replicate it in other areas; that’s my objective.

😊 squeezing a bit of levity into the title, ‘partie un de trois’ (part one of three) … as Canada is a bilingual country (English and French).

By the end of this three-part series, and possibly even after this first part, you'll have a better understanding of why you are not achieving some of your goals, and what you need to change. Your goals, as you are about to discover, are the result (the output) of your actions (inputs).

Examples of Input-Output-Machines in life

1.      Vending machine: You put $1 (input) in the vending machine and you get a bottle of water (output)

2.      Dishwasher is a machine: Has one purpose - put in dirty dishes in the dishwasher machine, clean dishes are the output.

3.      A washing machine: Put in dirty clothes (input) in the machine, clean clothes are the output.

Important in an Input-Output-Machine: You must understand the purpose of the machine, as that tells you what to put in. You wouldn't put dirty clothes in a dishwasher … I mean, you could, but … you wouldn't be happy with the output. Or you could put dirty dishes in a washing machine … as they are 'dirty' ... but ... 

Once you understand the machine you’ll know the correct inputs it needs. 

4. A bike is a machine.
   Change the input (pedal more) and you change the output (bike goes faster).
   Sit on the bike and do nothing (Input) and the bike doesn’t move (Output). Not moving is still an output. It’s why in Creating Habits 01, I wrote how doing nothing repeatedly leads to a habit.
   

5. You are a machine!

   • You feed yourself (Input) to survive (Output)

   • You exercise to get in better shape: Exercise is the Input, you are the machine, the Output is the result of your exercise. How happy you are with the result depends on the input you put in …

6. Are you a learning machine?
   Quick answer - if you ‘learn from your mistakes’, and don’t make those mistakes again, then yes, you’re a learning machine. Recall from Edison Math School Part 2 of x: that learning is lasting, as you don’t forget how to do it!
   And for learning to happen 5 steps are required: The Learning 5 (Objective, Motivation, Understanding, Reps on that understanding and Learning from results).
   Want to have a result of being a better learner? The Learning 5 tell you the inputs you need to do, to get an output of ‘I’m a better learner. Yay!

The Learning 5 tells you the 5 inputs you need to do, to get an output of ‘I’m a better learner.’

7. An online search engine 💻 is a machine:
   The words you type are the input (how to understand math) -> The search machine takes your words (how to understand math) -> gives you results.  The search engine machine is ‘trained/programmed’ to take your words and give outputs/results that are relevant to the words or question asked.
   

8. Ever heard of GIGO?
   Garbage In Garbage Out! Yup there’s acronyms for the Input-Output-Machine, and GIGO comes up in computer science, but it’s also relevant everywhere.

   • It’s saying what you put in, is what you get out – you can’t squeeze (input) an orange (the machine) and expect to get apple juice (the output)!

   • And it tells you if you don’t know what inputs to put into a machine, you’ll get a result that’s garbage, garbage as in not good. RIRO is another acronym.

Have you have heard the saying, “If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same results?” And it makes sense as you’re doing the same inputs. Like putting dirty dishes in the oven and expecting them to get cleaned …, then tomorrow you put dirty dishes in the oven and expect them to get cleaned … and then the next day you put dirty dishes in the … You may be rolling your eyes at this GIGO example, but when it happens it’s a lot more subtle ...

9. Math

   • A calculator is a machine: You input (type) 12 ❌ 12, into the calculator machine, and it gives an output of 144.

   • More on math Input-Output-Machines in Partie deux (Part two).

A key part of understanding life, math, learning and you, is understanding how a 'machine' works because then, you're more in control! As in, you'll know what inputs to put in to achieve the outputs you want (your objective). 

Input -> Machine -> Output

Three questions:
a) Which of the three do you need to think of first?
b) Which of the three do you do first?
c) How do you know what input to put in? 
Answer to a): If you have a goal to improve or solve a problem, your Goal is the output you're aiming for. Your output is what you should be thinking about first. 

Mastering Input-Output-Machines is how you become a better problem solver!

10. An AI CHAT is an Input-Output-Machine!
    Ever heard of 1) An AI Chat? 2) Prompts? 3) Prompt Engineering?
    No, yes? AI stands for Artificial Intelligence: 1) AI Chats are machines, and when you give it an input in (called a prompt), you get an output. It’s like a search engine but it doesn’t give many results that you have to search through, it answers your question in as much detail as you ask it to! But to get the desired output/objective you want, you have to understand what input to put in. 3) Prompt Engineering are courses that teach you to understand what prompts (inputs) to put in and the best prompts to put in! Neat, eh? Though wouldn’t that sort of focus on ‘best prompts’ for learning math be useful to learn?

    • The reason there is a concern about AI chats is it’s not just a machine, it’s a learning machine, which means it will keep getting better! So like a human, AI Chats can learn!   

Inputs are called prompts.
Prompt Engineering teaches how to understand the best prompts to use.
There is a course, that teaches you about the best inputs in AI?
Shouldn’t there be a ‘best inputs’ course in the math/school curriculum?

11. Inputs in any machine have to be crystal clear, not vague. Study harder as an input is vague, Practice more is also vague as both are not specific and are ambiguous inputs. Need to get more specific, which is what I’ve done with every Math by Edison article. I have never ever told a student to ‘study harder’ or ‘practice more’ but I have told them, “This is what you need to do to increase the probability of achieving the objective (output) you’re aiming for”.

• This is how to study for a test (replaces study harder).

• This is how you should do your homework (replaces do more practice).

• This is how to ask your teacher for help (replaces ask for help).

A specific input drastically increases the probability of getting an output you’re aiming for!

12. A bank machine is a machine …
    though I have a feeling you knew that a bank machine, was a machine.
    You put your bank card in, choose $20, and the bank machine spews out a $20 bill. If you choose $1,000,000 will the bank machine give you $1,000,000? Yes, no? Give three reasons.

Anything that has an Output is a Machine … which means there was an Input. Note: One of your answers to 12., may have been that machines have limitations 👍. 12b) Wherever you are now, look around and make a note 📄 of three different Input-Output-Machines you can see!

13. A plant 🌱 is a machine?
    Yes, you can think of a plant as a machine, yup: you water it (input) and it grows (the output). If you don’t water it (input), then the plant dies (output).

14. Your teeth is a machine too?
    Yeah you can think of your teeth as a machine: Do nothing as in don’t brush your teeth (input) and the output will be cavities. Your teeth respond to the input that’s put in. It’s output is based on the input. Hoping for no cavities by not brushing your teeth mean you don’t understand the ‘teeth machine’.

You can think of anything that’s just sitting there as a machine … once you do something to it (give it an input) it gives you an output.

15. A sled at the top of a snow hill - how can that be a machine?
    You push the sled (input) and it slides to the bottom (the output). The hill is a machine.

16. You flick the switch on the wall … the output is the lights come on. What’s the machine?

17. You are learning math 😃 … and set an objective in your course to achieve a mark above 80% (the output).
    a) What’s your input that you need to do to get that output?
    b) And what’s the machine?

Possible 12b) answers: 🛒⚽⛏☎🎷🕹

Recap

The Input-Output-Machine is a way for you to understand how Life, Math, Learning & You works. Today the focus was on machines in life.

To achieve whatever objective you’re aiming for (the Output) you must understand how the Machine works, as that tells you the best Input to put in.

Machines are designed to make life easier, but they’re only ‘easy to use’ if you understand them!

It’s mandatory and important with Life, Math, Learning & You, that you fully understand an Input-Output-Machine, as it will tell you why you might not be achieving some of your objectives. If you’re curious here are three possible reasons:

1) You’re not putting in the right inputs
2) You don’t understand the machine
3) You don’t know the inputs to do, and you don’t know the machine needed, to get the output you’re striving for.

2️⃣ Tomorrow is Partie deux (Part two), The math machine. Taught in Edison’s Math School and I’ll explain how the Input-Output-Machine shows up everywhere in math.

3️⃣ Finally, next week is Partie trois, Learning & You, where you are the star of the show, You are the Machine.

Tomorrow is Partie deux de trois (Part two of three), math! Will have you understand* how the Input-Output-Machine shows up everywhere in math.

How’s the inputs going?
Edison

Edison Hopkinson
Learning strategist to math students and parents
Learning about the Input-Output Machine of Life, Math, Learning & You.