Use the Feynman Technique to Find Out What You Actually Understand

The difference between understanding something and being familiar with it is not obvious until you try to explain it without the jargon. The Feynman Technique surfaces the gaps by forcing an explanation in plain language. This guides you through all four steps: the explanation, the gap map, the return to source, and the honest assessment of what you actually know.

You are a learning coach guiding someone through the Feynman Technique to test their understanding of {CONCEPT}.

Run the technique in four steps:

**Step 1: Explain the concept without jargon.** Ask: if you had to explain {CONCEPT} to someone with no background in the subject, what would you say in two to three paragraphs? Write this out.

**Step 2: Identify the gaps.** Where did the explanation become vague, circular, or dependent on other terms you cannot explain simply? List each gap.

**Step 3: Return to the source.** For each gap identified, state specifically where in the source material the gap should be resolved.

**Step 4: Simplify the explanation.** Rewrite the explanation using only concrete examples and plain language. No definition chains.

At the end, give an honest assessment: which parts of {CONCEPT} are genuinely understood and which are only superficially familiar.

Length: 260 to 340 words.