Do you know a Genius?

[The_Yeti]

I myself am a technological genius, after suffering a bit of electrocution at a younger age I grew a fascination for mechanical engineering and assembly, as well as an addiction to the relevantly close feel of an electric current.

(If I go without my machines for more then a day my hands shake like a coke addict.)

 

[Artina89]

IQ tests say I am a genius... but I am too smart to believe in them.

This guy was my Chemistry personal tutor and I had lectures with him

The great Professor M Poliakoff. Was he a genius? Yes I would say so. He not only gave me great practical advice in chemistry, but he gave me great life experience. To me, he is a genius.

Great Scott! Did he also give you the address he got that flippin' tie from?

Sadly not. I actually never saw him wear that tie in all the times he taught me actually, most people are enamoured with his hair XD

 

[wolf thing]

nope. i know alot of people who do well in exams and the like but other than that they aret as smart as the exams make out to be, there not idiots but they are genius. i do know a guy who ranked high on an IQ test but he is as thick as shite so im willing to call all IQ test total ares

 

[JoJo]

I will also double check that 150-170 figure, so don't take my word on it yet

Also, the problem with an IQ test is that it's only a snapshot of your intelligence. A lot of children (myself included) develop extremely fast and end up with truly phenomenal IQ scores when young, but their development then slows and their peers catch up.

You're unlikely to be above normal intelligence now I'm afraid, you'd need to be retested rather than use an old score but seventy percent of the population are within fifteen points of the 100 average.

OT: I know a few people who are far more intelligent than me but they don't strike me as 'genius' material.

I'm no expert on intelligence but even considering the changes in IQ score over time if you score that highly as a child I'd be surprised you'd drop so much as to be average, so I wouldn't say it'd be likely that he would be only be average now. All the people I know who were smart kids are now smart adults, though some of them haven't done as well due to laziness.

OT: Personally, I've never taken an IQ test and I don't wish to either, it's much easier just to flaunt my academic achievements which realistically in the real world mean far more than IQ. Everyone I know already seems to assume just by what I say and how I act that I'm intelligent so I don't need a number to tell me what I already know. As I said earlier on the thread, I don't consider myself a genius and I doubt any of the people here are really either.

 

[Quaxar]

IQ tests say I am a genius... but I am too smart to believe in them.

This guy was my Chemistry personal tutor and I had lectures with him

The great Professor M Poliakoff. Was he a genius? Yes I would say so. He not only gave me great practical advice in chemistry, but he gave me great life experience. To me, he is a genius.

Great Scott! Did he also give you the address he got that flippin' tie from?

Sadly not. I actually never saw him wear that tie in all the times he taught me actually, most people are enamoured with his hair XD

I can see the hair thing, but I really don't understand how one could own that tie and not wear it. I'd never take it off damnit!

 

[The Stonker]

Now, to answer that question then we must ask our selves.
What the fuck is a genius?
Because if you look in a dictionary then it's a human beign that posseses more intelligence then most others, but I believe that none of us are really "intelligent" just simply have different skill sets and differently wired brains.
For haven't you noticed that there are some people that are considered incredibly witty and smart, but are really complete douchebags, then isn't that something that constrains them and keeps them from actually growing and becoming a "genius"?
Therefore, no I don't know a genius or maybe we are all geniuses.

 

[Artina89]

IQ tests say I am a genius... but I am too smart to believe in them.

This guy was my Chemistry personal tutor and I had lectures with him

The great Professor M Poliakoff. Was he a genius? Yes I would say so. He not only gave me great practical advice in chemistry, but he gave me great life experience. To me, he is a genius.

Great Scott! Did he also give you the address he got that flippin' tie from?

Sadly not. I actually never saw him wear that tie in all the times he taught me actually, most people are enamoured with his hair XD

I can see the hair thing, but I really don't understand how one could own that tie and not wear it. I'd never take it off damnit!

Probably his wife wouldn't let him wear it. She even makes him cut his hair sometimes You should see his office though. He had made this sculpture thing out of discarded water bottles over his office doorway. He would also teach us molecular symmetry using dog toys. He is one of those eccentric awesome people and is genuinely one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

 

[Kryzantine]

I know a girl who is roughly 30 points north of genius on an IQ scale. I don't rely on those but based on what I saw when I was still in school with her I'd believe it. The girl pulled literally a 100 on everything and apparently got nearly 2400 on her SATs, with the essay being the faulty section. Now I don't usually trust grades since they are mostly test based, and obviously the SAT is itself a test and test taking is a skill in and of itself so thats not a good measure. I've read some of this girls papers that she's written and based on those and her collective grades from one of the most competitive high schools in NYC she is in fact a genius.

I am quite curious as to this HS. I just graduated from one of the most competitive schools in the same system, so it would be interesting to see similarities.

Anyway, I don't know if I can classify myself a genius. I didn't do too well on the SAT or in school (then again, my school required classes at least a year higher than those of the non-competitive schools), but most people in my school regarded me as a fucking god in some subjects, the social sciences in particular - comparative government, geopolitics, the like - the kind of guy that's a monster at Quizbowl. But most people were intelligent in their own rights. I can recall a few geniuses, not counting grades. A girl who could speak Latin fluently, a guy with Asperger's who was a bio and computer science specialist, another guy who made a mockery of Times crosswords - also a comp sci person. Plenty of intelligent people, plenty of above average intelligence people who were really good test takers, and a number of average people. Few below, but most of them dropped out quick. Didn't even slow classes down for them.

But everyone has a side to them, and genius still has to be earned in my book.

 

[Brandon237]

I will also double check that 150-170 figure, so don't take my word on it yet

Also, the problem with an IQ test is that it's only a snapshot of your intelligence. A lot of children (myself included) develop extremely fast and end up with truly phenomenal IQ scores when young, but their development then slows and their peers catch up.

You're unlikely to be above normal intelligence now I'm afraid, you'd need to be retested rather than use an old score but seventy percent of the population are within fifteen points of the 100 average.

OT: I know a few people who are far more intelligent than me but they don't strike me as 'genius' material.

That's true, but I REALLY don't want to be of the same IQ as most of my peers

I know for maths I am in the top 10% or so for my country, And I do damn well in non-language and creative pursuits of many variants (IT, Science, chess et cetera).

Oh please, you didn't even know what "sanguine" meant.

Not even my fault. The person who taught us that even gave us notes that I checked. And he was an actuary and head of learning at one of the local universities that taught us that.

If I am a genius (according to the 180 cut-off, no frikking way), then I fully admit that it is NOT in language.

Don't take my word for it, being a lowly person of average intelligence an' all, but I am fairly sure any "genius" would have checked the meaning of a word before claiming to be an authority of it regardless of who gave them the tidbit of knowledge.

And you obviously didn't check because you were very wrong.

Sorry, I realise this comes across as incredibly confrontational.

Problem actually came in when I DID check And The standard baseline seems to be >=140, but that holds the top 1 in 200 or so people, but there were also many sources saying that >=180 was true genius, All things in consideration, It means very little to have a specific number[footnote]Once you are considered to be very intelligent, effort, a good problem, interest et cetera will do far more for your success, most of the >180 IQ people listed no-one has ever heard of, but many in the 120-160 bracket are very well known for their good work[/footnote]. I agree with you though that I do not think my self genius material, because that makes so much more sense for the 180 bracket. But by the "standard" definition, I fit the category, but the much bigger category, that is actually represented by a full half a percent of the population[footnote]meaning that in a large school of people, in an area that is more educated (not rural, somewhere that needs skill and clever people), you will have a small class of said people with no problem[/footnote]. As for the Really insanely intelligent people, what most people think of as genius, are kind of rare, around 1 in 10 000 (the ones with >180 IQ). I am NOT one of those, by quite a long shot.

On what was I very wrong?
Yes, many places do not have the classifications going 140 or 180, but rather 145, 175, 185 or something like that. To measure such a thing so exactly is pointless due to reasons footnoted.
And the edit changed it to 150-170 to 150-160... so I don't see where that comes into play...
Oh wait, the sanguine issue[footnote]Now I do feel very stupid [/footnote], he was giving notes for an exam and memory course, and many such notes, and from that I am not going to question every single definition, many of which were, to me, especially at the time, quite obscure words. To go through them all would be crazy... And not the kind of crazy that I normally am.

Blue is where I realised what you meant, my bad.

It's cool, Today has been a day for me with many arguments (damn exam-paper bureaucracy), so I fully admit I haven't helped. And I have at least learnt something from all this... even if it is only to never use *that* word if I am writing in a hurry and not thinking...

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Because I don't. Or, at least, not that I've ever known. I've known some very smart people, but no one that I for sure knew to be genius level intelligence. If you do know a genius, what are they like personality wise. Aloof and contemptuous, or are they out-going and personable? I'm very curious about your experiences.

Could you define genius (for the purpose of this thread)?

 

[Shadu]

I do happen to know a genius. No, it's not me. It's the son of a pet sitting client. I've been told he is a certified genius.

He's very good at memorizing things quickly, but he is usually unable to use what he's learned, which is sort of useless.

As far as personality is concerned, he's rather unreliable, a bit of adreamer, but very impractical. He's awkward to talk to, never really connecting, and very stubborn. He thinks he knows everything and is always right, whether he is or isn't.

He knows a lot of book stuff, but is very low in the practicality area.

 

[Quaxar]

IQ tests say I am a genius... but I am too smart to believe in them.

This guy was my Chemistry personal tutor and I had lectures with him

The great Professor M Poliakoff. Was he a genius? Yes I would say so. He not only gave me great practical advice in chemistry, but he gave me great life experience. To me, he is a genius.

Great Scott! Did he also give you the address he got that flippin' tie from?

Sadly not. I actually never saw him wear that tie in all the times he taught me actually, most people are enamoured with his hair XD

I can see the hair thing, but I really don't understand how one could own that tie and not wear it. I'd never take it off damnit!

Probably his wife wouldn't let him wear it. She even makes him cut his hair sometimes You should see his office though. He had made this sculpture thing out of discarded water bottles over his office doorway. He would also teach us molecular symmetry using dog toys. He is one of those eccentric awesome people and is genuinely one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

Wives... no appreciation for the necessities of chemists.
University of Nottingham, eh? I reckon I won't have much to do with a foreign university's chemistry department bu if that assumption should turn out false be sure I will be on the lookout for the recycled sculptures and canine playstuff.

 

[Brandon237]

That's true, but I REALLY don't want to be of the same IQ as most of my peers

I know for maths I am in the top 10% or so for my country, And I do damn well in non-language and creative pursuits of many variants (IT, Science, chess et cetera).

I fully sympathise there! I'd sincerely like to believe I'm more intelligent than the average but I don't actually know if I am. I know I out perform most of my peers at university but that's more due to attendance and hard work.

If you are above average you're almost certainly in the 115-130 IQ point range, that holds 99% of the population, outliers beyond two standard deviations really are extraordinarily rare, especially on the increased intelligence end of the scale.

If you outperform, learn more easily et cetera, then you are likely above average. If you outperform by quite a bit, quite a bit above average. Even if not, you do better, you learn more, you get better job and you know, pass. At this point you are successful, know all you need to and learnt a lot from it, and even if you are just average, you succeeded, they didn't.

No no wait what? Doesn't the 85-115 hold most of the population? And then a decent amount (but still far far fewer, 5-10% I think?) are in the 70-130 range. Then you get the remainders on the tips of the bell curve stretching all the way down to 0 (complete brain-damage) to 200 (immeasurable genius)?

I don't think 99% of people are above average Unless they lied to me all these years...

I know this quote refers only to above average, and not actual high intelligence, but it fits[footnote]I will admit that it may apply to myself as well [/footnote]: 50% of people are of above average intelligence, 90% think they are.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

I'm technically considered one. Shame I'm wasting it in the IT field though. I just don't have much motivation to do anything outside of that as a career. I'm most savvy at computer-related tasks, plain and simple.

 

[SeeIn2D]

I know a girl who is roughly 30 points north of genius on an IQ scale. I don't rely on those but based on what I saw when I was still in school with her I'd believe it. The girl pulled literally a 100 on everything and apparently got nearly 2400 on her SATs, with the essay being the faulty section. Now I don't usually trust grades since they are mostly test based, and obviously the SAT is itself a test and test taking is a skill in and of itself so thats not a good measure. I've read some of this girls papers that she's written and based on those and her collective grades from one of the most competitive high schools in NYC she is in fact a genius.

I am quite curious as to this HS. I just graduated from one of the most competitive schools in the same system, so it would be interesting to see similarities.

Anyway, I don't know if I can classify myself a genius. I didn't do too well on the SAT or in school (then again, my school required classes at least a year higher than those of the non-competitive schools), but most people in my school regarded me as a fucking god in some subjects, the social sciences in particular - comparative government, geopolitics, the like - the kind of guy that's a monster at Quizbowl. But most people were intelligent in their own rights. I can recall a few geniuses, not counting grades. A girl who could speak Latin fluently, a guy with Asperger's who was a bio and computer science specialist, another guy who made a mockery of Times crosswords - also a comp sci person. Plenty of intelligent people, plenty of above average intelligence people who were really good test takers, and a number of average people. Few below, but most of them dropped out quick. Didn't even slow classes down for them.

But everyone has a side to them, and genius still has to be earned in my book.

She goes to Stuyvesant High School. Going into senior year now as far as I know. I say as far as I know because the possibility of her graduating early is very possible from what I've seen of her.

 

[Brandon237]

No no wait what? Doesn't the 85-115 hold most of the population? And then a decent amount (but still far far fewer, 5-10% I think?) are in the 70-130 range. Then you get the remainders on the tips of the bell curve stretching all the way down to 0 (complete brain-damage) to 200 (immeasurable genius)?

I don't think 99% of people are above average Unless they lied to me all these years...

I know this quote refers only to above average, and not actual high intelligence, but it fits[footnote]I will admit that it may apply to myself as well [/footnote]: 50% of people are of above average intelligence, 90% think they are.

No, I think I may have misphrased that. 70% are within one standard deviation of the average, 95% are within two standard deviations (thought it was 99% but I just checked it) but of that remaining 5% the bulk are below the average as opposed to above it.

That's true about the IQ though, people do tend to think they're above average and the values they make up frankly sound absurd when you know the scale. If someone tells me an online IQ test said they had a 136 IQ I politely tell them how unlikely that is.

That makes a lot more sense, I was wondering about that figure there 70% between 85 and 115, 95% between 70 and 130, that makes more sense.

This is why I do NOT use online ones, they are a horrific representation, I think overall memory and performance, combined with a structured, written test give a decent measure of IQ, also taking into account something that the person is unnaturally good at, that seems to be a key factor in genius that IQ usually misses.
If they get an IQ of 136, make them show some other results and accomplishments that prove they are bright for their age.

 

[Artina89]

IQ tests say I am a genius... but I am too smart to believe in them.

This guy was my Chemistry personal tutor and I had lectures with him

The great Professor M Poliakoff. Was he a genius? Yes I would say so. He not only gave me great practical advice in chemistry, but he gave me great life experience. To me, he is a genius.

Great Scott! Did he also give you the address he got that flippin' tie from?

Sadly not. I actually never saw him wear that tie in all the times he taught me actually, most people are enamoured with his hair XD

I can see the hair thing, but I really don't understand how one could own that tie and not wear it. I'd never take it off damnit!

Probably his wife wouldn't let him wear it. She even makes him cut his hair sometimes You should see his office though. He had made this sculpture thing out of discarded water bottles over his office doorway. He would also teach us molecular symmetry using dog toys. He is one of those eccentric awesome people and is genuinely one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

Wives... no appreciation for the necessities of chemists.
University of Nottingham, eh? I reckon I won't have much to do with a foreign university's chemistry department bu if that assumption should turn out false be sure I will be on the lookout for the recycled sculptures and canine playstuff.

Heh. I think he is fairly close to retirement as he has stopped taking on research students. I think he said that he will be at the uni full time for another 3 years, so if you want to run into the sculptures and the dog toys you may have to do it in the next 3 years

 

[Brandon237]

This is why I do NOT use online ones, they are a horrific representation, I think overall memory and performance, combined with a structured, written test give a decent measure of IQ, also taking into account something that the person is unnaturally good at, that seems to be a key factor in genius that IQ usually misses.
If they get an IQ of 136, make them show some other results and accomplishments that prove they are bright for their age.

Well what I normally ask them is do they really think they're a third again smarter than most people. Like, take how much smarter a person is than a rock and divide it by three and you're that much smarter than the average person?

I think for pure IQ I'm happier not knowing mine. Frankly I've seen dozens of examples of the smarter but useless man being outdone by the slightly slower but hard working and reliable one. I also don't like arrogance, especially in myself and I know myself too well to give me that ammo.

For intelligence I'd personally talk to the person and ask them what they've done. Genius level folk seem to have a pet project so it'd be worth looking at that rather than those slightly baffling 'which shape doesn't go' questions. Then again isn't there about twelve different measures of intelligence? I could have sworn the IQ test only measures about three or four different kinds, which is why it's not supposed to be used to work out if someone is []above[/i] average.

Arrogance one I know what you mean, and I have probably been so on this thread, I am disappointed in me, and live ammo is volatile! But I will leave it there to remind me of these dark (ish, kinda?) days.

Ultimately, there is no one measure for either genius or success. It is too dependant, but from a purely academic standpoint, IQ is okay, practically, it essentially has 5 groups: Brain-damaged, stupid, average, smart, genius. The micro-divisions give you very little information towards the edges of the bell-curve, and success only partially feels the effect of IQ, or even intelligence in general.

 

[aei_haruko]

Because I don't. Or, at least, not that I've ever known. I've known some very smart people, but no one that I for sure knew to be genius level intelligence. If you do know a genius, what are they like personality wise. Aloof and contemptuous, or are they out-going and personable? I'm very curious about your experiences.

yep, my biology teacher. He was so smart. Like he taught biology that made undergraduates in med school flunk out to me as a freshman ( don't believe me? heres a link to a website he designed himself, and heres thae material he taught):
http://www2.sluh.org/bioweb/
http://www2.sluh.org/bioweb/bi100/outlines/neurology.htm
http://www2.sluh.org/bioweb/bi100/tutorials/neurophysiology.htm
now that was a freshman year of it, heres the ap version:
http://www2.sluh.org/bioweb/apbio/apclassoutlines/ol_nerves_muscles_and_movement.htm
Now he designed the website himself, he made the focussheets by hismelf, and he taught this by himself.
He was my favorite teacher. Absolutely hilarious. He made sarcastic jokes, always had a laugh to give, and has ispired me to be a scientist just like he is

 

[rutger5000]

I study physics at a respected university. So yeah I know a bunch.