CLUE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 454 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
Any observation or information that contributes to a better understanding of a process or situation.
Of course, a clue gains its value only for the observer who is able to give it a meaning within a wider frame of references .
Photographic plates stored in a closed drawer that became veiled side by side with a sample of a yet not well known mineral became the first clue of this new phenomenon at the end of the 19th C.
But the clue made sense only for Becquerel and the Curie's because they already knew about ionizing radiations. Quite numerous scientific discoveries resulted in the same way from a clever interpretation of some clue.
In a lighter vein, clues were always meaningful for the keen eyes and acute perceptions of Sherlock Holmes…but only for him!
See also
Causality, Effects (side), Predictive event, Serendipity