Richard Feynman's method · Richard Feynman

The feynman technique examples

Curated by · reviewed 2026-05-31

The Feynman technique is explaining an idea in plain words as if teaching a beginner — the moment you stumble shows the exact gap in your understanding. Examples:

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5 examples of the feynman technique

  1. Teaching to learn

    Explaining a topic to a friend instantly reveals the parts you don't actually understand.

  2. The 12-year-old test

    If you can't explain it to a curious twelve-year-old, you don't yet understand it well enough.

  3. Studying from memory

    Writing answers in simple language from memory beats re-reading highlighted notes.

  4. Onboarding a new hire

    Asked to explain the system, the newcomer surfaces the parts no one really understands.

  5. Cutting the jargon

    When you can't hide behind big words, the holes in your knowledge show immediately.

How to spot it in yourself

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