Knowledge can refer to mere information, but it also encompasses laws and information abstracted and aggregated.
And I call knowledge that comprehensively and highly consistently abstracts multiple pieces of information from various angles, including underlying laws, a "knowledge crystal."
Here, I will use the physical explanation of flight as an example to illustrate what a knowledge crystal is. Then, I will explain my thoughts on knowledge crystallization and its application.
Flight
The presence of wings creates a resistive force against gravitational fall.
Additionally, a portion of the downward force due to gravity is converted into propulsive force for forward movement via the wings.
Forward movement, driven by this propulsive force, creates a relative airflow. Lift is generated by the different air speeds above and below the wing.
If this lift is roughly equivalent to gravity, gliding becomes possible.
Gliding does not require energy. However, gliding alone inevitably leads to descent. Therefore, sustained flight also necessitates using energy for powered flight.
If an aircraft possesses wings capable of gliding, it can achieve powered flight by utilizing external energy.
One method is to use updrafts. By capturing the energy of updrafts with its wings, an aircraft can gain a direct upward force.
Another source of external energy is headwinds. The energy from headwinds, similar to propulsive force, can be converted into lift by the wings.
Powered flight is also possible through self-generated energy.
Helicopters convert energy into lift using rotating wings.
Airplanes convert energy into propulsive force through propeller rotation, thereby indirectly generating lift.
Birds convert energy into upward force and propulsive force through flapping.
The Role of Wings
Organized in this way, it becomes clear that wings are intimately involved in flight.
Since rotary wings and propellers are also rotating wings, helicopters, which might appear to lack wings, also utilize wings, and airplanes utilize two types of wings, including propellers.
Wings have the following roles:
- Air Resistance: Mitigating gravity and converting updrafts into upward force.
- Force Direction Conversion: Converting gravity into propulsive force.
- Airflow Differential Generation: Creating air speed differences to generate lift.
Therefore, the performance related to flight is determined by the wing's area for creating air resistance, its angle relative to gravity, and the structure that generates airflow differentials.
When organized this way, it becomes evident that a wing consolidates all aspects of flight into a single shape. Furthermore, the wing is responsible for all aspects: gliding without energy, utilizing external energy, and utilizing internal energy.
Thus, the wing is like the embodiment of the phenomenon of flight itself.
On the other hand, by understanding the various elements of flight consolidated in the wing, it is also possible to design systems that divide and combine functions according to specific aspects or situations.
Based on the understanding derived from bird wings, it becomes possible to conceive flight systems that are easier to manufacture and design from an engineering perspective.
The reason airplanes can achieve a flight system different from birds by separating functions into main wings, tail wings, and propellers is precisely because they have made this kind of organization and then divided the necessary functions into separate parts.
Knowledge Crystallization
While I have explained flight and wings, what is written here does not contain any particularly new insights or discoveries regarding scientific principles or industrial products. All of it is well-known knowledge.
On the other hand, from the perspective of combining and associating these pieces of knowledge, or their similarities and analogies, a certain ingenuity can be observed, and there might be novelty in terms of including new explanations or viewpoints, or in emphasizing specific points more sharply.
In other words, there is a potential for novelty in the method of organizing known knowledge.
However, in the concluding section, which thoroughly explores the relationships and similarities among these pieces of knowledge to reveal the intimate connection between the phenomenon of flight and the structure of wings, there is something akin to a "knowledge condensation point" that goes beyond a mere collection of known knowledge or the organization of their associations.
From the perspective of refining such combinations of knowledge, discovering condensation points, and articulating them, I believe this text possesses novelty.
I would like to call this refinement of knowledge combinations and the discovery of condensation points "knowledge crystallization."
If this text is recognized as novel, it would mean that a new crystallization of knowledge has been successfully achieved.
Knowledge Gembox
Discussions often arise about the need for organizations to transition from human-dependent, expertise-based ways of working to processes that do not rely on individuals.
In such cases, it is said to be important to create a knowledge base by documenting and compiling the know-how held by experienced members.
"Knowledge" here refers to documented knowledge. The term "base" has the same nuance as in "database." A database organizes data in a user-friendly format. A knowledge base also organizes documented knowledge.
Here, it's crucial to consider knowledge base creation in two steps. The first is to extract and collect a large amount of knowledge.
At this stage, it's fine for the knowledge to be unorganized; the priority is simply to gather quantity. Then, the collected knowledge is organized.
Dividing the process into these steps breaks down the difficulty of knowledge base construction into two more manageable problems.
I call the collection of knowledge gathered in this initial step a "knowledge lake." This naming is based on its similarity to the term "data lake" from data warehousing technology.
Now, after that lengthy preamble, let's return to the novelty of organizing airplanes and wings.
When I say there is no novelty from the perspective of existing scientific principles and industrial product knowledge, it means that if you decompose the knowledge contained in my text, everything applicable already exists within the knowledge lake.
And when I say there is some novelty in the associations and similarities, it means that the relationships and structures between the pieces of knowledge appearing in my text partly align with existing links or networks within the knowledge base, and partly form new links or networks.
Furthermore, the indication that my text might possess novelty in terms of knowledge crystallization suggests the existence of a layer called a "Knowledge Gembox," distinct from the Knowledge Lake and Knowledge Base. If the knowledge crystallized in my text is not yet contained within the Knowledge Gembox, then it can be said to be novel.
Knowledge Toolbox
The knowledge crystals added to the Knowledge Gembox are not merely interesting and intellectually appealing.
Just as mineral resources can be applied to various uses, knowledge crystals, once their properties and applications are discovered, possess practical value.
In the example of flight and wings, I described how they could be applied to the design of flight systems.
By deepening our understanding of knowledge crystals and processing them into something with practical applications, they transform from something to be admired within the Gembox into tools that engineers can utilize.
This suggests the existence of a layer called the "Knowledge Toolbox." Furthermore, it is not only mechanical engineers designing industrial products who master the Knowledge Toolbox. That's because it's not a mechanical engineer's toolbox, but a knowledge engineer's toolbox.
Conclusion
We already possess a great deal of knowledge. Some of it is unorganized, like a Knowledge Lake, while other parts are structured, like a Knowledge Base.
And from these, knowledge has been crystallized and even turned into tools. However, there are likely many pieces of knowledge that remain undocumented as tacit know-how in someone's mind, or that no one has yet managed to crystallize or toolify.
The example of flight and wings strongly suggests this.
Even with knowledge that is already well-known and residing in Knowledge Lakes or Knowledge Bases, there should be numerous opportunities to refine and crystallize it, thereby creating useful knowledge tools.
Discovering such knowledge crystals does not require scientific observation, additional experiments, or accumulating physical experience.
This means there's no need to be an expert or possess special skills or privileges. Just as with flight and wings, by simply organizing and refining knowledge that is already known or discovered through research, we can uncover these crystals.
This signifies the democratization of knowledge. Everyone can take on the challenge of this crystallization. Furthermore, we can fully leverage artificial intelligence, which does not have a physical body.
By continually adding knowledge crystals and tools to the Knowledge Gembox and Toolbox in this way, we may eventually reach places that many once thought unattainable.
Surely, with the wings of knowledge, we will be able to fly through skies beyond imagination.