Trial and error
Imagine that you wake up in the morning, turn on your computer to do some study, and then discover your Wi-Fi isn’t working. First, you run a diagnostic test on your computer, but it doesn’t uncover anything. Next, you restart your computer, and still no luck. Lastly, you reboot your modem router, and… success!
The process you have just used is called trial and error, and it can be used to solve small problems like the one you had with your Wi-Fi. It can also be a powerful method in controlled situations for scientific breakthroughs, inventions, and developing new products. The idea is that you keep trying different approaches until you find one that works. The benefit of trial and error is that it allows you to test certain ideas (or hypotheses) to see if they are an effective solution to a problem. You can then take what you’ve learnt from your trials (and errors) and use it to make adjustments and to guide your next moves.
The downsides are that it can take time to conduct these trials, and this technique can’t be used in all situations. In some cases, a simple error could lead to disaster. For example, if you work as a bomb disposal expert and you need to disarm an explosive, cutting wires until you find the right one probably wouldn’t be a good idea!
Reflect
- Can you think of another example of a situation in which it would not be a good idea to use trial and error?
- What about a situation in which trial and error would be a good strategy to use?
Answer the following questions to identify in which situations trial and error would be a good problem-solving technique to use.
