Stuck on a problem? Talking to a rubber duck might unlock the solution

By Elliot Varoy, Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science, University of Sydney

You’re neck-deep in IKEA assembly instructions. Furniture parts lie strewn across the floor. Your new purchase sits half-complete in front of you, mocking your fruitless hours. As an uninterested partner walks in, you let the frustration out:

“I’ve done everything correctly! Look:

connect A with B using M1 screws
connect B with C with the M3 bolt using the key
join BC with D using… wait.”

You suddenly realise you haven’t joined BC with D. It all starts to click into place (literally), et voilà, you’re finished.

It’s…

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