Eureka is the moment when someone (an Innovator) suddenly realizes that information organized into a new pattern solves a problem or gives new insight. Eureka moments have occurred frequently in engineering, science, medicine, law, economics, and all other areas of study. Many engineers mention Eureka moments experienced when facing an apparently insoluble design, construction, or failure problem.
This article draws inferences from “Eureka moments” examples about the characteristics of the Innovators and the Eureka moment. It also lists a few of the barriers to a Eureka insight and its acceptance.
Eureka (I found it!) was supposedly shouted by Archimedes (mathematician, engineer, inventor) who had been charged to determine if the king’s gold crown contained base metal. While he was bathing, Archimedes observed that a body immersed in water sinks until the volume of water displaced is equal to the volume of the immersed body. This insight, coupled with density calculations, allowed Archimedes to prove that the crown included base metals. Archimedes’ Principle is used in fluid mechanics.
Isaac Newton, at age 25, was considered a poor to average student. His laws of statics and dynamics are the foundation for structural engineering. Along the way, he also invented calculus and tracked the movements of the solar system. Then he saw an apple fall from a tree and, in that Eureka moment, was inspired to develop the theory of gravity.
Albert Einstein was an examiner in the Bern patent office. He had not yet earned his doctoral degree. In 1905, age 26, Einstein wrote five papers that revolutionized science: molecular dimensions (dissertation), Brownian Motion, his special theory of relativity, light and quantum mechanics (Nobel Prize 1921), and the equivalence of mass and energy. A few years later, he saw a worker on the roof of a nearby building and suddenly realized that the worker, if falling off the roof, would not feel his own weight until he hit the ground. That Eureka insight later inspired him to extend his special theory of relativity to his general theory of relativity by redefining gravity.
In areas prone to earthquakes, engineers design structures to resist the lateral ground motion induced by the sudden release of energy during an earthquake. The design forces were set by building codes, generally in proportion to the level of ground motion predicted. Professor Mete A. Sozen, then at the University of Illinois, and his students, noted that a trivial increase in the design forces as set by the codes led to as much as a fourfold increase in the lateral displacement of the structure (called “drift”). After further testing, in a Eureka moment, he realized that drift was the critical criterion for seismic-resistant design of structures. Modern building codes reflect his insight. This insight was introduced in the 1972 edition of the Veterans Administration’s building code and promulgated by the National Science Foundation.
William LeMessurier was a prominent structural engineer and a part-time teacher. On behalf of his students, he contracted, through an MIT team, to develop a new design approach to high-rise steel-framed residential structures. He was having a restless night when his Eureka moment struck, envisioning the “Staggered Truss Framing System” that offered many advantages over other widely used structural systems.
Characteristics
From these examples, what may be assumed as the characteristics of the innovators?
Immanuel Kant wrote about the need for knowledge about the heavens and the moral law within humans. Knowledge about the heavens is understanding the known laws of nature and science. They are the grist for that work. Louis Pasteur wrote that chance most favors the prepared mind. On those terms, the Innovators were well prepared. They all had intensely studied and thought about the laws of science. These can be taught.
But human responses to stimuli cannot be taught. It was chance that the Innovators saw an apple fall, a man on a roof, seismic drift, but it took years of preparation and study in the field coupled with human imagination to turn the chance observations into Eureka moments.
The passion, the search for new knowledge, the heat and intensity, the independence, the creativity all drive the Innovator. Coincidentally, the Innovators were taking a break (taking a bath, watching a man on a roof, pacing on a restless night). The Innovator’s conscious mind focused on other matters at that instant, while the subconscious mind was still working on the problem.
The personal characteristics of Innovators include a commitment to problem-solving, concentration, determination, background knowledge, tenacity, creativity, independence, and an interest in exploring solutions.
The tools and locales preferred by the Innovators vary widely. Thomas Edison worked in his laboratory. Einstein seldom went to the laboratory; he worked at his desk with a ruler, compass, and pencil.
Interestingly, most of these Eureka moments occurred to the young (20-30 somethings).
Roadblocks
Once the Innovator has a Eureka moment, the first hurdle is to determine whether the new concept has merit. The most common error is assuming a correlation that indicates causation.
Some Eureka moments are never recognized as such or are not pursued to their full potential. Some rely too heavily on experience and simply do not recognize the value of the Moment. Sometimes insights may be rejected because there is insufficient evidence (statistical, mathematical, or practical) to support them. Jealously, the bias of peer reviewers, lack of support from colleagues and others within the community, employment restrictions, and even intellectual property theft can put a halt to the fruition of Eureka Moments.
Edison, a dedicated experimenter, developed direct current. Nikola Tesla, a trained engineer and former Edison employee, developed alternating current, an innovation that Edison entirely rejected. Their “battle of the currents” continued for years, costing millions of dollars and delaying electrification progress.
Finally, current trends toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), with its emphasis on replacing engineers, may have a long-run damping effect on Eureka insights.
Summary
Although this article was written to encourage Eureka Moments, one cannot go looking for them. They will just happen. The key to being an Innovator is to recognize those Moments and be willing to pursue them. Pasteur’s “chance most favors the prepared mind” is a guide. Those with prepared minds have the background to understand the nuances of the problem and explore solutions.
However, there is no way to teach the inner fire and determination needed. And, awareness of potential roadblocks may be a measure towards overcoming them.
In conclusion, the road to progress, Eureka, follows a zig-zag path – one that needs to be traveled.▪
Further Reading
Blastland, M. and Dilnot, A., The Tiger That Isn’t, Profile Books LTD, Great Britain, 2008
Hossli, R. and Flucker, R., William LeMessurier, STRUCTURE magazine, June 2013
Ioannidis, JPA, Why most published research findings are false, PLOS Medicine, August 30, 2005
Kounios, J., and Beeman, M., The Eureka Factor, Random House, NY, 2015
Livio, M., Brilliant Blinders, Simon and Shuster Paperbacks, NY, 2013
Sozen, M.A., A thread through time, School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 2015
Weighman, G., EUREKA How Invention Happens, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2015
