science

Nuremberg Funnel

Nuremberg Funnel is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nuremberg Funnel rather than just read about it. In short: Nuremberg Funnel (German: Nürnberger Trichter) is a jocular description of a mechanical or overly simplified way of learning and teaching. On the one hand, it evokes the image of a student learning their lessons almost without effort through such a method; on the other hand, it suggests a teacher who is able to teach everything even to the "stupidest" pupil.

Key takeaways

Nuremberg Funnel belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nuremberg Funnel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nuremberg Funnel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nuremberg Funnel (German: Nürnberger Trichter) is a jocular description of a mechanical or overly simplified way of learning and teaching. On the one hand, it evokes the image of a student learning their lessons almost without effort through such a method; on the other hand, it suggests a teacher who is able to teach everything even to the "stupidest" pupil. It can also refer metaphorically to forceful teaching or imposition of someone's ideas, ideology, or beliefs.

Etymology The phrase "Nuremberg Funnel", which is familiar in German-speaking countries, originates in the title of a 17th-century poetics textbook by Georg Philipp Harsdörffer (1607–1658), a Nuremberg poet and co-founder of the Pegnesischer Blumenorden. The word appeared in Nuremberg in 1647 under the title Poetischer Trichter. Die Teutsche Dicht- und Reimkunst, ohne Behuf der lateinischen Sprache, in VI Stunden einzugießen (Poetic funnel: The art of German poetry and rhyme, without the use of the Latin language, poured in over six hours). Due to the wide distribution of the work, the expression "Nuremberg funnel" eventually became a common idiomatic expression. The idiom "to funnel something in" (meaning "to drum something in') or "to get something funneled in" (meaning "to get something drummed in") is older than the image of the "Nuremberg Funnel". It was first recorded in a collection of proverbs by Sebastian Franck in 1541, although without reference to the city of Nuremberg. The Nuremberg funnel has been cited as an influence in "hypnopaedia", or sleep learning.

Literature Franz Kaiser: Der Nürnberger Trichter. Illustrated by Emeli Werzinger. Nuremberg: Sebaldus-Verlag, 1946, 12 pages, IDN: 354205862. Hans Recknagel; Rolf Veit: Wagenseils Nürnberger Trichter. Zur Geschichte einer Redensart. In: Mitteilungen der Altnürnberger Landschaft e.V., Booklet 1, 2001, pp. 571–581. Dagmar Hirschfelder: Der "Nürnberger Trichter" – Ein Allheilmittel gegen die Dummheit? In: KulturGUT – Aus der Forschung des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, booklet 8, 2006, pp. 3–5.

References

External links German First Day School Portraits: Funnel / Trichter

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nuremberg Funnel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nuremberg Funnel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nuremberg Funnel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nuremberg Funnel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nuremberg Funnel

In research: Nuremberg Funnel appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nuremberg Funnel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nuremberg Funnel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics German words and phrases, Learning, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nuremberg Funnel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nuremberg Funnel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nuremberg Funnel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nuremberg Funnel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nuremberg Funnel in simple terms?

Why does Nuremberg Funnel matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nuremberg Funnel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nuremberg Funnel.