- 問題
- 解説
- 第1段落
- How do mathematicians solve problems?
- There have been few rigorous scientific studies of this question.
- Modern educational research, based on cognitive science, largely focuses on education up to high school level.
- Some studies address the teaching of undergraduate mathematics, but those are relatively few.
- There are significant differences between learning and teaching existing mathematics and creating new mathematics.
- Many of us can play a musical instrument, but far fewer can compose a concerto or even write a pop song.
- 第2段落
- When it comes to creativity at the highest levels, much of what we know — or think we know — comes from introspection.
- We ask mathematicians to explain their thought processes, and seek general principles.
- One of the first serious attempts to find out how mathematicians think was Jacques Hadamard’s The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, first published in 1945.
- Hadamard interviewed leading mathematicians and scientists of his day and asked them to describe how they thought when working on difficult problems.
- What emerged very strongly was the vital role of what for lack of a better term must be described as intuition.
- Some feature of the subconscious mind guided their thoughts.
- Their most creative insights did not arise through step by step logic, but by sudden, wild leaps.
- 第3段落
- One of the most detailed descriptions of this apparently illogical approach to logical questions was provided by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré, one of the leading figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
- Poincaré was adamant that conscious logic was only part of the creative process.
- Yes, there were times when it was indispensable: deciding what the problem really was, systematically verifying the answer.
- But in between, Poincaré felt that his brain was often working on the problem without telling him, in ways that he simply could not fathom.
- 第4段落
- His outline of the creative process distinguished three key stages: preparation, incubation, and illumination.
- Preparation consists of conscious logical efforts to pin the problem down, make it precise, and attack by conventional methods.
- This stage Poincaré considered essential; it gets the subconscious going and provides raw materials for it to work with.
- Incubation takes place when you stop thinking about the problem and go off and do something else.
- The subconscious now starts combining ideas with each other, often quite wild ideas, until light starts to dawn.
- With luck, this leads to illumination: your subconscious taps you on the shoulder and the proverbial light bulb goes off in your mind.
- 第5段落
- This kind of creativity is like walking a tightrope.
- On the one hand, you won’t solve a difficult problem unless you make yourself familiar with the area to which it seems to belong — along with many other areas which may or may not be related, just in case they are.
- On the other hand, if all you do is get trapped into standard ways of thinking, which others have already tried, fruitlessly, then you will be stuck in a mental swamp and discover nothing new.
- So the trick is to know a lot, integrate it consciously, put your brain in gear for weeks… and then set the question aside.
- The intuitive part of your mind then goes to work, rubs ideas against each other to see whether the sparks fly, and notifies you when it has found something.
- This can happen at any moment: Poincaré suddenly saw how to solve a problem that had been bugging him for months when he was stepping off a bus.
- Archimedes famously worked out how to test metal to see if it were gold when he was having a bath.
- 第1段落
問題
次の文章の下線をほどこした部分(1)~(3)を和訳しなさい。
How do mathematicians solve problems? There have been few rigorous scientific studies of this question. Modern educational research, based on cognitive science, largely focuses on education up to high school level. (1)Some studies address the teaching of undergraduate mathematics, but those are relatively few. There are significant differences between learning and teaching existing mathematics and creating new mathematics. Many of us can play a musical instrument, but far fewer can compose a concerto or even write a pop song.
When it comes to creativity at the highest levels, much of what we know — or think we know — comes from introspection. We ask mathematicians to explain their thought processes, and seek general principles. One of the first serious attempts to find out how mathematicians think was Jacques Hadamard’s The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, first published in 1945. Hadamard interviewed leading mathematicians and scientists of his day and asked them to describe how they thought when working on difficult problems. (2)What emerged very strongly was the vital role of what for lack of a better term must be described as intuition. Some feature of the subconscious mind guided their thoughts. Their most creative insights did not arise through step by step logic, but by sudden, wild leaps.
One of the most detailed descriptions of this apparently illogical approach to logical questions was provided by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré, one of the leading figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Poincaré was adamant that conscious logic was only part of the creative process. Yes, there were times when it was indispensable: deciding what the problem really was, systematically verifying the answer. But in between, Poincaré felt that his brain was often working on the problem without telling him, in ways that he simply could not fathom.
His outline of the creative process distinguished three key stages: preparation, incubation, and illumination. Preparation consists of conscious logical efforts to pin the problem down, make it precise, and attack by conventional methods. This stage Poincaré considered essential; it gets the subconscious going and provides raw materials for it to work with. Incubation takes place when you stop thinking about the problem and go off and do something else. The subconscious now starts combining ideas with each other, often quite wild ideas, until light starts to dawn. With luck, this leads to illumination: your subconscious taps you on the shoulder and the proverbial light bulb goes off in your mind.
This kind of creativity is like walking a tightrope. (3)On the one hand, you won’t solve a difficult problem unless you make yourself familiar with the area to which it seems to belong — along with many other areas which may or may not be related, just in case they are. On the other hand, if all you do is get trapped into standard ways of thinking, which others have already tried, fruitlessly, then you will be stuck in a mental swamp and discover nothing new. So the trick is to know a lot, integrate it consciously, put your brain in gear for weeks… and then set the question aside. The intuitive part of your mind then goes to work, rubs ideas against each other to see whether the sparks fly, and notifies you when it has found something. This can happen at any moment: Poincaré suddenly saw how to solve a problem that had been bugging him for months when he was stepping off a bus. Archimedes famously worked out how to test metal to see if it were gold when he was having a bath.
解説
第1段落
How do mathematicians solve problems?
How do mathematicians solve problems?
どのように数学者は問題を解くのか?
数学者はどのように問題を解くのか?
There have been few rigorous scientific studies of this question.
There have been few rigorous scientific studies of this question.
この質問の少ない厳しい科学の研究があってきた。
この質問に対する厳密な科学的研究は, ほとんどなされてこなかった。
Modern educational research, based on cognitive science, largely focuses on education up to high school level.
- up to Aは多義イディオムで, 「A[地点]まで, Aの責任で, A[悪事]を企んで」を押さえておく。特にIt is up to you「それはあなた次第だ」は頻出。
Modern educational research, based on cognitive science, largely focuses on education up to high school level.
認知科学に基づいた, 近代の教育的な研究は, 大部分は高校レベルまでの教育に注目する。
認知科学に基づいた現代的な教育調査は, 主に高校レベルまでの教育に焦点を当てている。
Some studies address the teaching of undergraduate mathematics, but those are relatively few.
- undergraduateは大学1~4年生(学部生)のことで, 卒業してgraduateになると, 大学院生のことを指す。
Some studies address the teaching of undergraduate mathematics, but those are relatively few.
いくつかの研究は学部学生の数学の教えを取り組むが, それらは比較的少数だ。
大学の学部生レベルの数学教育を扱う研究もあるが, その数は比較的少ない。
There are significant differences between learning and teaching existing mathematics and creating new mathematics.
There are significant differences between learning and teaching existing mathematics and creating new mathematics.
存在する数学を学ぶことと教えることと, 新しい数学を作ることの間に, 重大な違いがある。
今ある数学を教えたり学んだりすることと, 新しい数学を想像することの間には, 非常に大きな違いがある。
Many of us can play a musical instrument, but far fewer can compose a concerto or even write a pop song.
Many of us can play a musical instrument, but far fewer can compose a concerto or even write a pop song.
私たちの多くは楽器を弾けるが, ずっとより少数はコンチェルトを編集したり, ポップソングを書くことさえできる。
楽器を弾ける人は多いが, ほとんどの人は, 協奏曲はもちろん, 現代風の流行曲さえ作曲することができない。
第2段落
When it comes to creativity at the highest levels, much of what we know — or think we know — comes from introspection.
- introspectionは知らなくてよいが, 接頭辞intro-から, 雰囲気で読む。
When it comes to creativity at the highest levels, much of what we know — or think we know — comes from introspection.
最も高いレベルでの創造性ということになると, 私たちが知っている, または私たちが知っていると考えていることのほとんどはintrospectionから来る。
最高水準の創造性については, 私たちが知っている, もしくはそう思っていることの大部分が, 自己反省から生じる。
We ask mathematicians to explain their thought processes, and seek general principles.
We ask mathematicians to explain their thought processes, and seek general principles.
私たちは数学者に彼らの試行プロセスを説明するように頼み, 一般の原理を求める。
私たちは, 数学者に思考の過程を説明してもらい, 普遍的に成り立つ法則を追い求めている。
One of the first serious attempts to find out how mathematicians think was Jacques Hadamard’s The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, first published in 1945.
One of the first serious attempts to find out how mathematicians think was Jacques Hadamard’s The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, first published in 1945.
どのように数学者が考えるかということを発見するための最初の真面目な試みの一つは, 最初に1945に出版された, Jacques HadamardのThe psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Fieldだった。
数学者の思考方法を理解しようとする最初の本格的な試みの一つは, 1945年にジャック・アダマールによってはじめて出版された, 「数学における発明の心理」だった。
Hadamard interviewed leading mathematicians and scientists of his day and asked them to describe how they thought when working on difficult problems.
Hadamard interviewed leading mathematicians and scientists of his day and asked them to describe how they thought when working on difficult problems.
Hadamardは彼の日のリードする数学者や科学者にインタビューして, 彼らにどのように彼らが難しい問題に取り組んでいるときに考えるかということを述べるように頼んだ。
アダマールは, 当時の優れた数学者や科学者を面談し, 難しい問題に取り組む際の思考方法を述べてもらった。
What emerged very strongly was the vital role of what for lack of a better term must be described as intuition.
What emerged very strongly was the vital role of what for lack of a better term must be described as intuition.
とても強く出現したものは, より良い用語の欠落のために, 直感として述べられる必要のあるものの重要な役割だった。
はっきりと明らかになったことは, 良い用語がないので直感としか言いようのないものが果たす, 重要な役割だった。
Some feature of the subconscious mind guided their thoughts.
- Aが単数形のとき, some A = certain A「あるA, 特定のA」
- subconsciousは, sub + conscious。接頭辞のsub-は, subleader, subtitleなどから, 一つ下の意味があることを知っていれば, subconsciousは「潜在意識下の」と訳せる。
Some feature of the subconscious mind guided their thoughts.
subconscious mindのある特徴が, 彼らの思考をガイドした。
潜在意識下にある何らかの特徴が, 彼らの思考を導いていた。
Their most creative insights did not arise through step by step logic, but by sudden, wild leaps.
- butの並列は, 何と何が並列されているかを確定することは容易だが, 意味を取り違えないように注意。but以下は主語と動詞が無いので, 前半を使って復元してみる。ここで, Their most creative insights did not arise by sudden, wild leapsとやってしまうと間違い。notは基本的には省略されない。よって, Their most creative insights arose by sudden, wild leapsと復元しないといけない。
Their most creative insights did not arise through step by step logic, but by sudden, wild leaps.
彼らの最も創造的な洞察は, ステップバイステップのロジックを通じて生じなかった, しかし, 突然の, ワイルドな飛躍によって。
彼らの最も創造的な洞察は, 段階的な論理の積み上げではなく, 突飛で大胆な飛躍によって, 生じていた。
第3段落
One of the most detailed descriptions of this apparently illogical approach to logical questions was provided by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré, one of the leading figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
One of the most detailed descriptions of this apparently illogical approach to logical questions was provided by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré, one of the leading figures of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
論理的な質問に対するこの一見すると論理的でないアプローチの最も詳細化された説明の一つは, フランスの数学者Henri Poincaréによって提供された。つまり, 19世紀後期と初期の20世紀のリードしている人物の一人。
論理的な問いに対する, この一見非論理的に思える取り組み方の, 最も詳細な説明の一つは, 19世紀後半と20世紀前半を代表する人物の一人である, フランスの数学者, アンリ・ポアンカレによってなされた。
Poincaré was adamant that conscious logic was only part of the creative process.
- adamantは知らなくてよいが, 用法を見ると, be adamant that S Vのようになっているので, be sure that S Vのようなものだと仮定して何となくで読むと良い。
Poincaré was adamant that conscious logic was only part of the creative process.
Poincaréは, 意識のロジックがただ創造的なプロセスの一部だということをadamantだった。
ポアンカレは, 意識的な論理思考は, 創造的な思考過程の一部にすぎないということを強く確信していた。
Yes, there were times when it was indispensable: deciding what the problem really was, systematically verifying the answer.
Yes, there were times when it was indispensable: deciding what the problem really was, systematically verifying the answer.
はい, それが不可欠であるようなときがある。つまり, 問題が本当は何かということを決めること, システマチックに答えを証明すること。
もちろん, 論理的思考が不可欠な場合もあった。例えば, 問題が実際には何であるかを決定する際や, 体系的に答えを証明する際など。
But in between, Poincaré felt that his brain was often working on the problem without telling him, in ways that he simply could not fathom.
- fathomは知らなくてよい。
But in between, Poincaré felt that his brain was often working on the problem without telling him, in ways that he simply could not fathom.
しかし間の中で, Poincaréは彼の脳はしばしば, 彼が単にfathom出来ないような方法で, 彼に伝えることなしに問題に取り組んでいるということを感じていた。
しかし, 論理的思考と創造的思考の間で, 自分の脳が無意識に, 全く理解できないやり方で, 問題に取り組んでいることがあると, ポアンカレは感じていた。
第4段落
His outline of the creative process distinguished three key stages: preparation, incubation, and illumination.
- incubation「孵化, 培養」は出来れば知っておきたいが, 準備と解明の間の中間段階だということが文脈からわかるので, 知らなければ適当に訳せばよい。
His outline of the creative process distinguished three key stages: preparation, incubation, and illumination.
創造的なプロセスの彼のアウトラインは, 3つのキーステージを見分けた。つまり, 準備, incubation, イルミネーション。
想像的過程についての彼の概要は, 3つの鍵となる段階に分かれていた。つまり, 準備段階, 孵化段階, 解明段階である。
Preparation consists of conscious logical efforts to pin the problem down, make it precise, and attack by conventional methods.
- consist of A = be composed of A = comprise A「Aから構成される」, consist in A = lie in A「Aに在る」
Preparation consists of conscious logical efforts to pin the problem down, make it precise, and attack by conventional methods.
準備は, 問題をpin downして, それを正確にして, 伝統的なメソッドによってアタックするための意識的な論理的な努力から成る。
準備段階は, 問題を特定し, それを正確な形にし, 従来の方法で取り組む意識的な論理的努力から成る。
This stage Poincaré considered essential; it gets the subconscious going and provides raw materials for it to work with.
- consider A B = consider A as B = consider A to be B「AをBと見なす」
- provide A with B = provide B for A「AにBを供給する」
- get O doing「Oを~の状態にする」
This stage Poincaré considered essential; it gets the subconscious going and provides raw materials for it to work with.
Poincaréはこのステージを本質的だとみなした。それは潜在意識をgoingにして, それに一緒にworkすべき生の材料を供給する。
この準備段階こそ, ポアンカレは最も重要だとみなした。準備段階によって, 潜在意識が働くようになり, 取り組むべき最初の素材が潜在意識に与えられると考えた。
Incubation takes place when you stop thinking about the problem and go off and do something else.
- go off = explode「爆発する」だが, ここでは明らかに違うので, go「行く」 + off「離れて」と考える。
Incubation takes place when you stop thinking about the problem and go off and do something else.
incubationは, あなたが問題について考えることを止めて, go offして, 他の何かをするときに起こる。
孵化段階は, 問題について考えることを止めて, 一旦離れ, 何か他のことをしているときに生じる。
The subconscious now starts combining ideas with each other, often quite wild ideas, until light starts to dawn.
- combine A with B「AとBを結びつける」
- S V, until S’ V’は直訳すると「S’ V’するまでS Vする」となるが, 時系列を考えると, 「S Vして, それからS’ V’する」と前から訳せる。
The subconscious now starts combining ideas with each other, often quite wild ideas, until light starts to dawn.
潜在意識は今それぞれとアイデアを結びつけることを始める。しばしばかなりワイルドなアイデア。ライトが夜明け始めるまで。
潜在意識は今度は, 様々な考えをお互いに結び付け始める。それらはの中にはかなり大胆な考えも含まれているかもしれない。その後, 解決への明かりが灯りはじめる。
With luck, this leads to illumination: your subconscious taps you on the shoulder and the proverbial light bulb goes off in your mind.
- proverb = saying「ことわざ」
With luck, this leads to illumination: your subconscious taps you on the shoulder and the proverbial light bulb goes off in your mind.
幸運とともに, これはイルミネーションまで導く。あなたの潜在意識が肩の上であなたをタップして, ことわざ的なライトバルブがあなたの心の中で爆発する。
もし運がよければ, これは解明段階につながる。潜在意識があなたの肩を叩き, 例の電球が頭の中で光る。
第5段落
This kind of creativity is like walking a tightrope.
This kind of creativity is like walking a tightrope.
この種の創造性は, tightropeを歩くようなものだ。
このような創造性は, 綱渡りをすることに似ている。
On the one hand, you won’t solve a difficult problem unless you make yourself familiar with the area to which it seems to belong — along with many other areas which may or may not be related, just in case they are.
- you won’t V1 unless you V2は, 直訳すると「V2しない限りV1しないだろう」となるが, 対偶を意識すると, 「V1するためにはV2しないといけない」と解釈できる。この方が前から訳せて楽なので, 特に文が長い場合は有効。
On the one hand, you won’t solve a difficult problem unless you make yourself familiar with the area to which it seems to belong — along with many other areas which may or may not be related, just in case they are.
一方で, あなたは難しい問題を解かないだろう。あなたがあなた自身をそれが属していると思われるようなエリアに精通している状態にしない限り。関係しているかしていないかもしれないような多くの他のエリアと一緒に。それらが~である場合に備えて。
一方では, 難しい問題を解くためには, それが属していると思われる領域はもちろん, 他の多くの関係ないかもしれない領域についても, もし関係していた場合に備えて, 詳しくならなければいけないだろう。
On the other hand, if all you do is get trapped into standard ways of thinking, which others have already tried, fruitlessly, then you will be stuck in a mental swamp and discover nothing new.
- all S have to do is (to) V「Sがすべきことの全てはVすることだ」の定型表現は, isのあとはtoを省略して動詞の原形も来ることができる。この表現と同じようなことが起こっている。
- stuckの原形はstick。stick to A = cling to A「Aに固執する」の受身形。
- swamp「沼」は必須ではないが出来れば知っておきたい。
- fruitlesslyは, 「フルーツがないように(実りなく)」と訳せるが, 他の部分との兼ね合いが難しいのでうまい訳し方は色んな例文を見ると良い。意外とよく出てくる単語なので注意。
On the other hand, if all you do is get trapped into standard ways of thinking, which others have already tried, fruitlessly, then you will be stuck in a mental swamp and discover nothing new.
他方で, もしあなたのするすべてが標準的な思考の方法の中へget trappedすることで, そしてそれは他人がすでに挑戦してきて, fruitlesslyに, ならばそれならあなたはメンタルのswampの中にstickされて, 新しい無を発見するだろう。
他方で, すでに他の人が試してきて, 成果がなかったような標準的な思考方法にとらわれるだけでは, 精神的な泥沼にはまり, 新しいことは何も見つからないだろう。
So the trick is to know a lot, integrate it consciously, put your brain in gear for weeks… and then set the question aside.
So the trick is to know a lot, integrate it consciously, put your brain in gear for weeks… and then set the question aside.
だから, トリックは, たくさん知って, 意識的にそれを統合して, 何週間もの間ギアの中にあなたの脳を置いて, …, それからわきに問題をセットすることだ。
したがって, 秘訣は, 多くのことを学び, それらを意識的に組み合わせ, 何週間も脳を働かせ, そして, 問題を一旦忘れることだ。
The intuitive part of your mind then goes to work, rubs ideas against each other to see whether the sparks fly, and notifies you when it has found something.
The intuitive part of your mind then goes to work, rubs ideas against each other to see whether the sparks fly, and notifies you when it has found something.
あなたの心の直感的な部分はそれから働きに行って, スパークが飛ぶかどうかということを見るためにそれぞれに対してアイデアをこすって, それが何かを見つけたときにあなたに知らせる。
それから, 頭の中の直感が機能し始め, 様々な考えをお互いにすり合わせて火花が飛び散るかどうかを確かめ, 何か分かった時に知らせてくれる。
This can happen at any moment: Poincaré suddenly saw how to solve a problem that had been bugging him for months when he was stepping off a bus.
This can happen at any moment: Poincaré suddenly saw how to solve a problem that had been bugging him for months when he was stepping off a bus.
これは任意の瞬間で起こりうる。Poincaréは, 彼がバスから降りるときに, 数か月間彼をbugしてきたような問題の解き方を見た。
これは, どんなときにも起こる可能性がある。ポアンカレは, バスから降りている最中に突然, 彼を何か月間も悩ませてきた問題の解決方法をひらめいた。
Archimedes famously worked out how to test metal to see if it were gold when he was having a bath.
- if節は, seeの目的語になっているので, 名詞節。「~かどうか(ということ)」。
Archimedes famously worked out how to test metal to see if it were gold when he was having a bath.
Archimedesは有名に, 彼が風呂に入っていたときに, それが金であるかどうかということを見るための金属のテスト方法を理解した。
有名な話だが, アルキメデスは入浴中に, ある金属が金であるかどうかを確かめる方法を思いついた。
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