One of my physics professors said that a key skill of good physicist is to be able to characterize a system quickly, prior to bringing in numbers or perhaps even equations. I’ve applied that to a lot of things.<p>That cuts both ways: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;xkcd.com&#x2F;793&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;xkcd.com&#x2F;793&#x2F;</a>