Logic

Zbornak

Zbornak

Zbornak

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I've been trying to understand what logic is. I see it on job descriptions, "needs to have a logical approach" and I don't actually know what it means. I'm sure anyone who's studied philoshpy should be able to explain it for me!

Can someone write on here a problem and then show how that would be solved using logic and then solved not using logic.

What's the benefit of thinking logically? Can logical thinking be improved, like memory and reaction times etc? If so how? Is it also the same as "thinking outside the box"? Are there better ways of solving problems?

Before anyone asks, I'm not drunk or high.
 
Logic - using calculated reasoning to solve a problem, as opposed to ad-hoc attempts or pure trial and error.

That's my own definition on the spot. Sounds right to me.
 
RomanNose said:
You are obviously not thinking logically if you are posting this question without looking at a dictionary.
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1.Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity: "experience is a better guide to this than deductive logic".

2.A particular system or codification of the principles of proof and inference: "Aristotelian logic".
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I'm not sure I get it.
 
Easy example: You have 3 data sets, once set contains sales numbers, one set contains product numbers, one set contains client details.

Your job is to combine them in a database or spreadsheet. How would you go about doing this? (I'm making a huge assumption about the datasets by the way)

Or think of it this way, what would a logical person do/need to solve the problem?
 
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Zbornak said:
I've been trying to understand what logic is. I see it on job descriptions, "needs to have a logical approach" and I don't actually know what it means.
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Out of interest, do you get any of these jobs or do you tell the interviewer that you don't know the meaning of the word 'logic'?

Genuinely curious here (also slightly terrified and incredulous).
 
Essentially rather than randomly making choices you make informed decisions based on facts and figures. E.g. to get from A to B it's quicker to go via road C because I know that on road D there are roadworks and it will delay my journey by 20 minutes even though it's a shorter distance.


More random examples :p:

Distance to shops: 0.5 mile
Cost/mile walking: £0.00
Time/mile walking: 18 minutes
Cost/mile driving: £0.40
Time/mile driving: 3 minutes

Scenario 1:
I need to get to the shops and back within 10 minutes.

We know:
Walking takes 18 minutes, this is > 10 minutes : not good
Driving takes 3 minutes, this is < 10 minutes : good

Decision: drive so you're back in time


Scenario 2:
I can't afford to waste any money but need to go to the shops

We know:
Walking costs £0.00 : good
Driving costs £0.40 : not so good

Walking is cheaper than driving, therefore I save money.

Decision: walk
 
Also don't get yourself tied up, what they mean by logic in a job interview is basically common sense/problem solving they don;t expect you to understand philosophical or mathematical logic.
 
Pho said:
Essentially rather than randomly making choices you make informed decisions based on facts and figures. E.g. to get from A to B it's quicker to go via road C because I know that on road D there are roadworks and it will delay my journey by 20 minutes even though it's a shorter distance.


More random examples :p:

Distance to shops: 0.5 mile
Cost/mile walking: £0.00
Time/mile walking: 18 minutes
Cost/mile driving: £0.40
Time/mile driving: 3 minutes

Scenario 1:
I need to get to the shops and back within 10 minutes.

We know:
Walking takes 18 minutes, this is > 10 minutes : not good
Driving takes 3 minutes, this is < 10 minutes : good

Decision: drive so you're back in time


Scenario 2:
I can't afford to waste any money but need to go to the shops

We know:
Walking costs £0.00 : good
Driving costs £0.40 : not so good

Walking is cheaper than driving, therefore I save money.

Decision: walk
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What if the 2 questions were put together?

You need to get to the shops and back within 10 minutes but you cannot afford to waste money?

;)
 
Zbornak said:
I've been trying to understand what logic is. I see it on job descriptions, "needs to have a logical approach" and I don't actually know what it means. I'm sure anyone who's studied philoshpy should be able to explain it for me!

Can someone write on here a problem and then show how that would be solved using logic and then solved not using logic.
Click to expand...

OP - If you had never cooked anything in your life and somebody asked you to make a cake, what would you do?
 
dazzerd said:
Easy example: You have 3 data sets, once set contains sales numbers, one set contains product numbers, one set contains client details.

Your job is to combine them in a database or spreadsheet. How would you go about doing this? (I'm making a huge assumption about the datasets by the way)

Or think of it this way, what would a logical person do/need to solve the problem?
Click to expand...

If someone asked me exactly how you asked me, I would make three separate columns for each data set. If they asked me to show what client bought what product, it becomes more complicated.

[FnG]magnolia;21552823 said:
Out of interest, do you get any of these jobs or do you tell the interviewer that you don't know the meaning of the word 'logic'?
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Yes, sometimes I do get these jobs. I rarely have to do interviews for my line of work and on the occasion that I dp, I never say "I don't know what logic means."

Pho said:
Essentially rather than randomly making choices you make informed decisions based on facts and figures.
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So everyone uses logic naturally? I thought these 'Logic Puzzle' books inferred that it's a consciously chosen way of problem solving.

Also don't get yourself tied up, what they mean by logic in a job interview is basically common sense/problem solving they don;t expect you to understand philosophical or mathematical logic.
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But everyone has problem solving abilities, animals too. So when a job description says "must be a logical thinker", they're simply writing something redundantly?
 
Swifty55 said:
What if the 2 questions were put together?

You need to get to the shops and back within 10 minutes but you cannot afford to waste money?

;)
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The best option then would be to drive for 0.54 of a mile - taking 1.64 minutes costing £0.21 then walk for 0.46 of a mile - taking 8.28 minutes costing £0. Total time: 9.9 minutes and costing £0.21.


Ha :p.
 
Zbornak said:
I've been trying to understand what logic is. I see it on job descriptions, "needs to have a logical approach" and I don't actually know what it means. I'm sure anyone who's studied philoshpy should be able to explain it for me!

Can someone write on here a problem and then show how that would be solved using logic and then solved not using logic.
Click to expand...

You're looking into this too deeply - 'needs to have a logical approach' in a job advert is likely talking in a general sense - tis just waffle in this context, might as well replace with any of: methodical, analytical or just plain common sense...

I wouldn't interpret it literally as in they're probably not necessarily after someone who'll start applying logic theory, set theory etc.. directly to business problems else they'd have likely been a bit more specific.
 
Zbornak said:
What's the benefit of thinking logically?
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Thinking logically about situations will tend to lead you to the correct answer (should one exist) more often than random chance would. It also means that you can demonstrate that your thought process followed a reasonable path to reach a conclusion, this makes it much easier to support your conclusions should you be challenged on them.

Zbornak said:
Can logical thinking be improved, like memory and reaction times etc? If so how?
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Sure, practice logic problems and over time you'll tend to get better at them. There's probably a finite limit at some point about how good it is possible to become but if you've never tried a logical approach before there's a good chance you're not going to be hitting the limits just yet. However with that said most people will quite naturally follow some form of logical thought process, it's just a question of how far you take it.

Zbornak said:
Is it also the same as "thinking outside the box"?
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Not really, "thinking outside the box" tends to be reserved for matters where you're not following a particular logical or incremental process i.e. you've managed to find a novel solution to a problem but it's probably not one that you might be expected to come up with unless there is a leap of "logic".

Zbornak said:
Are there better ways of solving problems?
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It depends what you want as a problem solving method really - logical processes tend to right much more often than they are wrong if you apply them correctly but that's a bit like always betting on the favourites in a football match, you'll normally come out ahead but sometimes unexpected results will happen. As a pure problem solving technique then the answer is probably no, there's nothing better.

You can also argue it's more fun sometimes not to follow a logical process and just to go on gut instinct or whatever but that's not to say it should be a direct replacement in every scenario.
 
Zbornak said:
Google or look in a recipe book or call a friend or call my mum or a combination of all those.
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A logical approach.

An illogical approach would be throwing piles of unresearched ingredients into an oven going on intuition, and hoping something cake shaped came out.
 
I have been told I'm a very logical person although I don't consider myself to be anymore than of average intelligence, so the two are quite diffrent things, I say that as in someone intelligent might know the answer to a problem, and others need logic to work it out, that's why companies ask.

Yes everyone uses logic everyday, but some people are better at it than others.
As an example,
You work in a supermarket and are called to the checkout and asked to go get 15 cans of cat food for an elderly customer.
You can do a few things
1) walk up the isle pick up 15 cans and try carry them back
2) whilst at the checkout grab a bag then walk up the isle
3) do 2 or 3 trips
Obviously the second is more of a logical thing to do, but not something everyone would think of.
 
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