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Solving Research Problems

The document discusses the differences between solving a homework problem and solving a research problem. Some key differences are: 1) Homework problems are well-defined with known solutions, while research problems are open-ended without clear definitions or guaranteed solutions. Research problems require reformulating and refining the questions. 2) Solving homework problems requires knowledge and skills like creativity and persistence, while solving research problems demands a wider knowledge, creativity, persistence, ability to ask good questions and reformulate problems, communication skills, and seeing the big picture. 3) The process of solving a research problem involves defining the problem, formulating it into a solvable version, solving it, interpreting results, and disseminating

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67 views

Solving Research Problems

The document discusses the differences between solving a homework problem and solving a research problem. Some key differences are: 1) Homework problems are well-defined with known solutions, while research problems are open-ended without clear definitions or guaranteed solutions. Research problems require reformulating and refining the questions. 2) Solving homework problems requires knowledge and skills like creativity and persistence, while solving research problems demands a wider knowledge, creativity, persistence, ability to ask good questions and reformulate problems, communication skills, and seeing the big picture. 3) The process of solving a research problem involves defining the problem, formulating it into a solvable version, solving it, interpreting results, and disseminating

Uploaded by

tungbk123
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction

What are the Differences between


• Transition from an undergraduate student to a graduate student
Solving a Homework Problem and • How to become an independent researcher?

Solving a Research Problem? • Before graduate school:


• Mostly trained to solve homework problems

Minh N. Do • In graduate school (and beyond, for researchers):


• Ability to solve research problems is the key for success
Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Analogy: differences between winning a battle and
winning a war!

Solving a Homework Problem

• Example: Show that


is an orthogonal basis for bandlimited functions
“Most advances are made in response to a need, so that it is
necessary to have some sort of practical goal in mind while the • Required skills for solving homework problems:
basic research is being done; otherwise it may be of little value.” • Knowledge
• Creativity
John Bardeen (two Nobel Prizes in Physics) • Persistence

• Typical: Problem ! Solution


• Problem is well defined
• Know that a solution exists!

2 3

Solving a Research Problem

• Example: Can we recover a function from its samples? “There are many things one doesn!t understand and therefore,
we ask them why don!t you just go ahead and take action, try to
• Research problems are typical fuzzy and open ended do something? You realize how little you know and you face
your own failures and you simply can correct those failures and
• Problems are not clear and well-defined
redo it again and at the second trial you realize another mistake
• Problems are not even exist before
or another thing you didn!t like so you can redo it once again. So
by constant improvement, or should I say, the improvement
• Key: being able to ask the right questions and refine them based upon action, one can rise to a higher level of practice and
knowledge.”
• We need not just to solve the problem but also convince the
world that we actually solve it! Fujio Cho (President of Toyota)
• Perform experiments to confirm the theory
• Demonstrate the impacts in real applications and technology

4 5
Five Steps in Solving a Research Problem Define/Formulate a Research Problem

• Step 1: Define the problem (scope, area,…) • Fact: Most of engineering problems are ill-posed!
• Review literature (lot of reading, but not too much)
• Gain deep understanding by doing (implement, experiment,…) • Often we need to redefine/reformulate the problem to make it
• Step 2: Formulate the problem (into a homework problem) solvable
• Find the right model, setup • Imposing realistic assumptions
• Introduce assumptions to simplify the problem • Add constraints
• Step 3: Solve the problem (~ solve a homework problem) • Simplify the problem or model
• Many times need to validate with experiments, applications
• Step 4: Interpret the solution • Engineers: We are allowed to change the problem!
• Go back to the original problem: new insights, new methods,…
• Step 5: Disseminate the results • Many times, being able to define/formulate a research problem
• Papers, presentations, patents,… is half of the work!

6 7

Some Techniques in Formulating Problems Required Skills for Solving Research Prob
• Keep simplifying the problem until it is solvable (e.g. to a special
case) and then try to generalize/extend the solution • Knowledge (much wider)

• Simple problem often gives clear insight and intuition


• Creativity
• Persistence (much more)
• If we cannot solve a simple version of the problem then
we also cannot solve the complex version • If we keep trying hard, something good will come out

• Multiresolution technique: start with a coarse and solvable


problem and successively extend it to make it more realistic • Ask good questions
• Faith (this problem can be solved!)
• Look at the data!
• Flexibility (if not, how can I reformulate it to be solvable!)
• Ask the converse questions
• Communication skills for disseminating results
• Example: we know that bandlimitedness leads to samplable;
• See the the big picture
but what are other samplable signals?
• Organized, motivated, and have a sense of purpose

8 9

Epilog

• Actually, research are typical much more unstructured than what


I just described “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only
way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
• But a good research should solve a good and relevant problem And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you
haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.”

• Further reading: Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Computer)


• “How to solve it” by G. Polya, Princeton University Press

10 11

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