User:Coleac22/sandbox

The Aha Moment

"The Aha Moment" is a term, coined in the 1970s, that explains the instant in which one experiences a sudden epiphany or moment of realization. Also referred to as "the light bulb moment", the “aha reaction”, or formerly the “aha experience” in the 1950s, the "aha" moment is commonly experienced in problem solving or creative thinking. When a discovery is made, the individual may say "aha", or "eureka" to themselves, thus creating the aha moment.

The following text is example of when an aha moment may occur: A teacher asks his students to solve the following critical thinking math problem:

"A math class has 12 students. At the beginning of each class, each student shakes hands with each of the other students in the room. How many handshakes take place?"

When a student breaks the problem down into simple steps, they may experience an aha moment when realizing they are able to do so.

For example, a student can "begin with special case. Start with just 2 students and realize that only one shake is possible. Then the student may suppose that a new student walks in the door. They then realize they must shake hands with each of the students that are already in the room. So that makes two more handshakes(1+2=3). If a fourth student enters the room, they must shake hands with each of the students that is already in the room. That totals 1+2+3=6. The pattern is now clear: the addition of a fifth student would result in 1+2+3+4 handshakes.When we get up to 12 students, we will have required 66 handshakes."

When the student doing the problem recognizes the pattern within the problem, they will then experience the feeling of accomplishment and inspiration, known as the aha moment.