old battle of the lovees was: PDP1 3560

They do complex calculations all the time that would take a math major hours to write in formalized notations. Just think about all the physics problems a farmer does in his head during a normal workday. However, he cannot describe how he reached his solutions on paper so that others who have never done the physical work can learn how to arrive at a solution. That's the kind of writing down that I mean.

But it's not a formal, documented methodology. Shortcuts are used all the time. Controls (subjects) aren't as strict as in the labs.

In the old days, it was usually women who did medicine. They taught their sons and daughters. Kids started learning survival skills at age 1 day. One of the problems we have today is that these skills, if ever, are taught at age 18 or 21 (which ever is the majority trigger).

Yup. Or on the edges of the family cookbook or Bible. However that's just the stuff that was recorded. This doesn't help with the physical processes. For instance, the use of pulleys and their configuration was taught by example not by paper. The calculations done were in one's head. Somehow kids learn how to do these estimations by watching and then aping.

BAH