--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my own research when I'm working with…" description: "\"In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on the mathematics for m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png" --- # In my own research when I'm working with equations, I… ![“In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on the mathematics for my understanding. I need to have a visual picture in my mind. I'm constantly translating from the math to some intuitive mind's-eye picture.” quote by Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png) > “In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on the mathematics for my understanding. I need to have a visual picture in my mind. I'm constantly translating from the math to some intuitive mind's-eye picture.” [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding equations demands visual intuition, not just symbolic manipulation. **In simple terms:** Math needs mental pictures. Key Takeaway Use visual models to grasp complex ideas. Themes science education intuition Mood curious analytical Type educational scientific When to use this quote - physics research - teaching - problem solving Key Concepts visualization cognitive science Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance math and imagery? - What visual tools aid your work? A Different Perspective Overreliance on visuals can oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Equations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equations/) [Equations Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equations-feel-3362035/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Math Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-intuitive-3362037/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-understanding-3362036/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Relying Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relying-mathematics-3362038/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Translate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translate/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) ## Related quotes > [Art is a form of understanding like philosophy and science and mathematics are an understanding but the difference is that art has the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/art-is-a-form-of-understanding-like-philosophy-and-science-and/) [Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/) > [I don't care much for equations myself. This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down, but mainly because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-don-t-care-much-for-equations-myself-this-is-partly-because-it-is/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Evidence in support of general relativity came quickly. Astronomers had long known that Mercury’s orbital motion around the sun deviated slightly from what Newton’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/evidence-in-support-of-general-relativity-came-quickly-astronomers/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The math of quantum mechanics and the math of general relativity, when they confront one another, they are ferocious antagonists and the equations don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-math-of-quantum-mechanics-and-the-math-of-general-relativity-when/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [In quantum mechanics there is A causing B. The equations do not stand outside that usual paradigm of physics. The real issue is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-quantum-mechanics-there-is-a-causing-b-the-equations-do-not-stand/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [That small word "Force," they make a barber's block, Ready to put on Meanings most strange and various, fit to shock Pupils of Newton……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/that-small-word-force-they-make-a-barber-s-block-ready-to-put-on/) [James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/) > [...the science of calculation also is indispensable as far as the extraction of the square and cube roots: Algebra as far as the quadratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-science-of-calculation-also-is-indispensable-as-far-as-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Love and you shall be loved. All love is mathematically just, as much as two sides of an algebraic equation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/love-and-you-shall-be-loved-all-love-is-mathematically-just-as-much/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It was basic research in the photoelectric field-in the photoelectric effect that would one day lead to solar panels. It was basic research in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-was-basic-research-in-the-photoelectric-field-in-the-photoelectric/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/) [Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [It required unusual inquisitiveness to pursue the development of scientific curiosities such as charged pith balls, the voltaic cell, and the electrostatic machine. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-seitz/it-required-unusual-inquisitiveness-to-pursue-the-development-of/) [Frederick Seitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-seitz/) > [How you educate the people around you, what steps you take toward making it better, what sacrifices you make. The equation of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hawkins/how-you-educate-the-people-around-you-what-steps-you-take-toward/) [Andrew Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hawkins/) > [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) ## More by Brian Greene > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The number of e-mails and letters that I get from choreographers, from sculptors, from composers who are being inspired by science is huge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-number-of-e-mails-and-letters-that-i-get-from-choreographers-from/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [One of the wonders of science is that it is completely universal. It crosses national boundaries with total ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/one-of-the-wonders-of-science-is-that-it-is-completely-universal-it/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [String theory is the most developed theory with the capacity to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics in a consistent manner. I do believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/string-theory-is-the-most-developed-theory-with-the-capacity-to-unite/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [But, as Einstein once said, “For we convinced physicists, the distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, however persistent.”5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/but-as-einstein-once-said-for-we-convinced-physicists-the-distinction/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Sometimes attaining the deepest familiarity with a question is our best substitute for actually having the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/sometimes-attaining-the-deepest-familiarity-with-a-question-is-our/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [When kids look up to great scientists the way they do to great musicians and actors, civilization will jump to the next level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/when-kids-look-up-to-great-scientists-the-way-they-do-to-great/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [I have long thought that anyone who does not regularly - or ever - gaze up and see the wonder and glory of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/i-have-long-thought-that-anyone-who-does-not-regularly-or-ever-gaze/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [There are many of us thinking of one version of parallel universe theory or another. If it's all a lot of nonsense, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/there-are-many-of-us-thinking-of-one-version-of-parallel-universe/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [As every parent knows, children begin life as uninhibited, unabashed explorers of the unknown. From the time we can walk and talk, we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/as-every-parent-knows-children-begin-life-as-uninhibited-unabashed/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The full name of string theory is really superstring theory. The 'super' stands for this feature called supersymmetry, which, without getting into any details,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-full-name-of-string-theory-is-really-superstring-theory-the-super/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-grasping-modern-insights-into-the/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Writing for the stage is different from writing for a book. You want to write in a way that an actor has material to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/writing-for-the-stage-is-different-from-writing-for-a-book-you-want/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [We know that if supersymmetric particles exist, they must be very heavy; otherwise we would have spotted them by now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/we-know-that-if-supersymmetric-particles-exist-they-must-be-very/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The beauty of string theory is the metaphor kind of really comes very close to the reality. The strings of string theory are vibrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-beauty-of-string-theory-is-the-metaphor-kind-of-really-comes-very/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) [Explore all 168 Brian Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) ## More Equations quotes > [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [How you educate the people around you, what steps you take toward making it better, what sacrifices you make. The equation of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hawkins/how-you-educate-the-people-around-you-what-steps-you-take-toward/) [Andrew Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hawkins/) > [It required unusual inquisitiveness to pursue the development of scientific curiosities such as charged pith balls, the voltaic cell, and the electrostatic machine. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-seitz/it-required-unusual-inquisitiveness-to-pursue-the-development-of/) [Frederick Seitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-seitz/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/) [Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/) > [It was basic research in the photoelectric field-in the photoelectric effect that would one day lead to solar panels. It was basic research in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-was-basic-research-in-the-photoelectric-field-in-the-photoelectric/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Love and you shall be loved. All love is mathematically just, as much as two sides of an algebraic equation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/love-and-you-shall-be-loved-all-love-is-mathematically-just-as-much/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [...the science of calculation also is indispensable as far as the extraction of the square and cube roots: Algebra as far as the quadratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-science-of-calculation-also-is-indispensable-as-far-as-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [That small word "Force," they make a barber's block, Ready to put on Meanings most strange and various, fit to shock Pupils of Newton……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/that-small-word-force-they-make-a-barber-s-block-ready-to-put-on/) [James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/) > [It would take a civilization far more advanced than ours, unbelievably advanced, to begin to manipulate negative energy to create gateways to the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/it-would-take-a-civilization-far-more-advanced-than-ours-unbelievably/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Good information architecture enables people to find and do what they came for. Great information architecture takes find out of the equation: the site…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zeldman/good-information-architecture-enables-people-to-find-and-do-what-they/) [Jeffrey Zeldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zeldman/) > [Beauty’s all around me right here. It’s not in a textbook. It’s not in an equation. I mean, take the sunlight … The colors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tharp/beauty-s-all-around-me-right-here-it-s-not-in-a-textbook-it-s-not-in/) [Tim Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tharp/) > [Maybe we should have gone with him," he said, a few minutes after his friend was lost to sight. "Three of us would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/maybe-we-should-have-gone-with-him-he-said-a-few-minutes-after-his/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [Faith is the commitment of one's consciousness to beliefs for which one has no sensory evidence or rational proof. When man rejects reason as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/faith-is-the-commitment-of-one-s-consciousness-to-beliefs-for-which/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 517 Equations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on the mathematics for my understanding. I need to have a visual picture in my mind. I'm constantly translating from the math to some intuitive mind's-eye picture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with-equations-i-never-feel-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Equations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with-equations-i-never-feel-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00b/brian-greene-2334_equations_in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with_2788556.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if…” — Brian Greene", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brian Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In my own research when I'm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with-equations-i-never-feel-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-my-own-research-when-i-m-working-with-equations-i-never-feel-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```