problem solving a noun

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Word Tools Finders & Helpers Apps More Synonyms Copyright WordHippo © 2024 Stack Exchange Network Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Q&A for work Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. What are the Differences in Meaning Between "Problem Solving" and "Solving Problems" Problem Solving tells us what you do. Solving Problems tells us what you do it to. Is there any other difference in meaning in the context of math word problems? "He loves nothing better than problem solving; or, "He loves nothing better than solving problems." Each sentence says pretty much the same thing. –  rhetorician Commented Dec 25, 2014 at 2:45 2 Answers 2 In principle a connection of gerund and object can have three forms 1 the solving of problems (in Latin Grammar "problems" is called genetivus objectivus, i.e. "problems" corresponds to an object in a normal sentence with a finite verb.) 2 solving problems 3 problem solving/problem-solving In 1 we have the full form with the and of. 2 is derived from 1 by dropping the and of. 3 is derived from 2 by putting "problems" in front position. All three forms have the same meaning. Which form will be used is a matter of style. Form 2 is the common form. Even "I'm solving problems" might be derived from form 1: I'm at/in the act of (the) solving (of) problems. Well, "problem solving" is a noun (or, when hyphenated, an adjective); but "solving problems" is a present-progressive tense verb with an object. Thus, "He has good problem-solving skills." But: "I am solving problems", rather than "I am problem solving". But these are only matters of syntax. In answer to your question, no, there is no difference in meaning. Your Answer Sign up or log in, post as a guest. Required, but never shown By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy . Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged meaning or ask your own question . Featured on Meta Announcing a change to the data-dump process Upcoming initiatives on Stack Overflow and across the Stack Exchange network... We spent a sprint addressing your requests — here’s how it went Hot Network Questions Using grout that had hardened in the bag Can a MicroSD card help speed up my Mini PC? What type of cap would you use to block DC on a microphone-level audio line (unbalanced)? How does this problem relate to the 50 & 75 move rules? Is "double-lowercase-L" a ligature (Computer Modern Italic)? vi (an old AIX vi, not vim): map: I can search, move, yank, or dd, but cannot paste Draw a Regular Reuleaux Polygon Linux disk space running full Fill the triangular grid using the digits 1-9 subject to the constraints provided Continued calibration of atomic clocks Iterating over the contents of a file Team member working from home is distracted with kids while on video calls - should I say anything as her manager? Mechanism behind a pink human skeleton Why doesn't sed have a j command? Paradox in Prisoner's dilemma Has a rocket engine ever been reused by a second/third stage how to round numbers after comma everytime up Questions about writing a Linear Algebra textbook, with Earth Science applications How can I fix this rust on spokes? How can I explain the difference in accuracies in different ML models? Calculate sum of self-exponentation How can I learn how to solve hard problems like this Example? Keeping US Citizenship While Living Abroad (Japan) Good to have a packed tourist like itinerary when considering for Japan's visitor visa? problem solving (noun), problem-solving (adjective) open when used as a noun; hyphenated when used as an adjective. Daily Crossword Word Puzzle Word Finder Word of the Day Synonym of the Day Word of the Year Language stories All featured Gender and sexuality All pop culture Writing hub Grammar essentials Commonly confused All writing tips Pop culture Writing tips Advertisement noun as in difficulty; bad situation Strongest matches complication Strong matches botheration disagreement predicament Weak matches can of worms disputed point point at issue noun as in puzzle, question illustration brainteaser cliff-hanger mind-boggler sixty-four thousand dollar question Example Sentences We can now create video-game quality simulations to evaluate complex skills like creativity or problem-solving. The competition will be an ersatz astronaut training program of sorts, including physical challenges, as well as puzzles and problem-solving tasks, as well as emotionally challenging scenarios, according to Deadline. Lindsey Graham has changed after 25 years in Washington into someone who puts his political fortunes ahead of problem-solving. When you have armed soldiers on the streets, I think, as a public affairs officer, that’s a perception problem in and of itself. The problem in Venezuela is not the oil, it’s the political system. Several times, either because they forgot or they had a technical problem, they connected directly, and we could see them. Every once in a while, they act swiftly and acknowledge the problem. Part of the problem is the mandate of the war and the means with which the U.S. is fighting it do not match up. The third problem is the evidence of corroborating witnesses. But this physical involvement, or lack of it, is only part of the problem. And now let me come to the second problem we opened up in connection with college education—the problem of its extension. No man can believe it who tests it by his reason in the same way in which he would test any modern problem. But the essential problem of to-day is to know how far we are to depart from its principles. We notice that more attention is given to the problem of placing a feature than to that of making a likeness of it. But the West is not in its essence a time problem; there, they can wait—next week—next month. Related Words Words related to problem are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word problem . Browse related words to learn more about word associations. noun as in trouble deep trouble dire straits disappointment inconvenience noun as in difference of opinion altercation apple of discord controversy grounds for war matter at hand point in question tender spot noun as in trouble, inconvenience aggravation exasperation molestation pain in the neck noun as in annoyance disturbance Viewing 5 / 73 related words On this page you'll find 128 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to problem, such as: complication, dilemma, dispute, headache, issue, and obstacle. From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group. More From Forbes Stumped five ways to hone your problem-solving skills. Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Respect the worth of other people's insights Problems continuously arise in organizational life, making problem-solving an essential skill for leaders. Leaders who are good at tackling conundrums are likely to be more effective at overcoming obstacles and guiding their teams to achieve their goals. So, what’s the secret to better problem-solving skills? 1. Understand the root cause of the problem “Too often, people fail because they haven’t correctly defined what the problem is,” says David Ross, an international strategist, founder of consultancy Phoenix Strategic Management and author of Confronting the Storm: Regenerating Leadership and Hope in the Age of Uncertainty . Ross explains that as teams grapple with “wicked” problems – those where there can be several root causes for why a problem exists – there can often be disagreement on the initial assumptions made. As a result, their chances of successfully solving the problem are low. “Before commencing the process of solving the problem, it is worthwhile identifying who your key stakeholders are and talking to them about the issue,” Ross recommends. “Who could be affected by the issue? What is the problem – and why? How are people affected?” He argues that if leaders treat people with dignity, respecting the worth of their insights, they are more likely to successfully solve problems. Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024 Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 2. unfocus the mind. “To solve problems, we need to commit to making time to face a problem in its full complexity, which also requires that we take back control of our thinking,” says Chris Griffiths, an expert on creativity and innovative thinking skills, founder and CEO of software provider OpenGenius, and co-author of The Focus Fix: Finding Clarity, Creativity and Resilience in an Overwhelming World . To do this, it’s necessary to harness the power of the unfocused mind, according to Griffiths. “It might sound oxymoronic, but just like our devices, our brain needs time to recharge,” he says. “ A plethora of research has shown that daydreaming allows us to make creative connections and see abstract solutions that are not obvious when we’re engaged in direct work.” To make use of the unfocused mind in problem solving, you must begin by getting to know the problem from all angles. “At this stage, don’t worry about actually solving the problem,” says Griffiths. “You’re simply giving your subconscious mind the information it needs to get creative with when you zone out. From here, pick a monotonous or rhythmic activity that will help you to activate the daydreaming state – that might be a walk, some doodling, or even some chores.” Do this regularly, argues Griffiths, and you’ll soon find that flashes of inspiration and novel solutions naturally present themselves while you’re ostensibly thinking of other things. He says: “By allowing you to access the fullest creative potential of your own brain, daydreaming acts as a skeleton key for a wide range of problems.” 3. Be comfortable making judgment calls “Admitting to not knowing the future takes courage,” says Professor Stephen Wyatt, founder and lead consultant at consultancy Corporate Rebirth and author of Antidote to the Crisis of Leadership: Opportunity in Complexity . “Leaders are worried our teams won’t respect us and our boards will lose faith in us, but what doesn’t work is drawing up plans and forecasts and holding yourself or others rigidly to them.” Wyatt advises leaders to heighten their situational awareness – to look broadly, integrate more perspectives and be able to connect the dots. “We need to be comfortable in making judgment calls as the future is unknown,” he says. “There is no data on it. But equally, very few initiatives cannot be adjusted, refined or reviewed while in motion.” Leaders need to stay vigilant, according to Wyatt, create the capacity of the enterprise to adapt and maintain the support of stakeholders. “The concept of the infallible leader needs to be updated,” he concludes. 4. Be prepared to fail and learn “Organisations, and arguably society more widely, are obsessed with problems and the notion of problems,” says Steve Hearsum, founder of organizational change consultancy Edge + Stretch and author of No Silver Bullet: Bursting the Bubble of the Organisational Quick Fix . Hearsum argues that this tendency is complicated by the myth of fixability, namely the idea that all problems, however complex, have a solution. “Our need for certainty, to minimize and dampen the anxiety of ‘not knowing,’ leads us to oversimplify and ignore or filter out anything that challenges the idea that there is a solution,” he says. Leaders need to shift their mindset to cultivate their comfort with not knowing and couple that with being OK with being wrong, sometimes, notes Hearsum. He adds: “That means developing reflexivity to understand your own beliefs and judgments, and what influences these, asking questions and experimenting.” 5. Unleash the power of empathy Leaders must be able to communicate problems in order to find solutions to them. But they should avoid bombarding their teams with complex, technical details since these can overwhelm their people’s cognitive load, says Dr Jessica Barker MBE , author of Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks . Instead, she recommends that leaders frame their messages in ways that cut through jargon and ensure that their advice is relevant, accessible and actionable. “An essential leadership skill for this is empathy,” Barker explains. “When you’re trying to build a positive culture, it is crucial to understand why people are not practicing the behaviors you want rather than trying to force that behavioral change with fear, uncertainty and doubt.” Editorial Standards Reprints & Permissions Join The Conversation One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.  Forbes Community Guidelines Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms. User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms. So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your insights Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view. Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service. Synonyms for Problem-solving Nouns  - 41. Alternatively Dictionaries home American English Collocations German-English Grammar home Practical English Usage Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta) Word Lists home My Word Lists Recent additions Resources home Text Checker Definition of problem noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary Want to learn more? Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
1840	0.0004
1850	0.0003
1860	0.0003
1870	0.0008
1880	0.0017
1890	0.0024
1900	0.0044
1910	0.0089
1920	0.011
1930	0.018
1940	0.035
1950	0.052
1960	0.07
1970	0.087
1980	0.098
1990	0.1
2000	0.1
2010	0.098

Where does the noun problem-solver come from?

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun problem-solver is in the 1840s.

OED's earliest evidence for problem-solver is from 1848, in British Quarterly Review .

problem-solver is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: problem n. , solver n.

Nearby entries

• problemist, n. a1631–
• problemistic, adj. 1892–
• problemize, v. 1844–
• problemless, adj. 1865–
• problemo, n. 1985–
• problem of three bodies, n. 1814–
• problem-orientated, adj. 1951–
• problem-oriented, adj. 1946–
• problem play, n. 1894–
• problem-solve, v. 1956–
• problem-solver, n. 1848–
• problem-solving, n. & adj. 1854–
• problem tape, n. 1948–
• problem-wise, adv. a1859–
• pro-Boarder, n. 1902–
• pro-Boerism, n. 1899–
• probole, n.¹ 1684–1880
• probole, n.² 1696–
• probolistic, adj. 1876–
• pro bono, adv. & adj. 1774–
• pro bono publico, adv. 1640–

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Meaning & use

Entry history for problem-solver, n..

Originally published as part of the entry for problem, n.

problem, n. was revised in June 2007.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
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Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1908)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View problem in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for problem-solver, n., browse entry.

Mathematicians Are Edging Close to Solving One of the World's 7 Hardest Math Problems

And there’s $1 million at stake.

• In new research, mathematicians have narrowed down one of the biggest outstanding problems in math.
• Huge breakthroughs in math and science are usually the work of many people over many years.
• Seven math problems were given a $1 million bounty each in 2000, and just one has been solved so far.

The “Millennium Problems” are seven infamously intractable math problems laid out in the year 2000 by the prestigious Clay Institute, each with $1 million attached as payment for a solution. They span all areas of math , as the Clay Institute was founded in 1998 to push the entire field forward with financial support for researchers and important breakthroughs.

But the only solved Millennium Problem so far, the Poincare conjecture, illustrates one of the funny pitfalls inherent to offering a large cash prize for math. The winner, Grigori Perelman, refused the Clay prize as well as the prestigious Fields Medal. He withdrew from mathematics and public life in 2006, and even in 2010, he still insisted his contribution was the same as the mathematician whose work laid the foundation on which he built his proof, Richard Hamilton.

Math, all sciences, and arguably all human inquiries are filled with pairs or groups that circle the same finding at the same time until one officially makes the breakthrough. Think about Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, whose back-and-forth about calculus led to the combined version of the field we still study today. Rosalind Franklin is now mentioned in the same breath as her fellow discoverers of DNA, James Watson and Francis Crick. Even the Bechdel Test for women in media is sometimes called the Bechdel-Wallace Test, because humans are almost always in collaboration.

That’s what makes this new paper so important. Two mathematicians—Larry Guth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and James Maynard of the University of Oxford—collaborated on the new finding about how certain polynomials are formed and how they reach out into the number line. Maynard is just 37, and won the Fields Medal himself in 2022. Guth, a decade older, has won a number of important prizes with a little less name recognition.

The Riemann hypothesis is not directly related to prime numbers , but it has implications that ripple through number theory in different ways (including with prime numbers). Basically, it deals with where and how the graph of a certain function of complex numbers crosses back and forth across axes. The points where the function crosses an axis is called a “zero,” and the frequency with which those zeroes appear is called the zero density.

In the far reaches of the number line, prime numbers become less and less predictable (in the proverbial sense). They are not, so far, predictable in the literal sense—a fact that is an underpinning of modern encryption , where data is protected by enormous strings of integers made by multiplying enormous prime numbers together. The idea of a periodic table of primes, of any kind of template that could help mathematicians better understand where and how large primes cluster together or not, is a holy grail.

In the new paper, Maynard and Guth focus on a new limitation of Dirichlet polynomials. These are special series of complex numbers that many believe are of the same type as the function involved in the Riemann hypothesis involves. In the paper, they claim they’ve proven that these polynomials have a certain number of large values, or solutions , within a tighter range than before.

In other words, if we knew there might be an estimated three Dirichlet values between 50 and 100 before, now we may know that range to be between 60 and 90 instead. The eye exam just switched a blurry plate for a slightly less blurry one, but we still haven’t found the perfect prescription. “If one knows some more structure about the set of large values of a Dirichlet polynomial, then one can hope to have improved bound,” Maynard and Guth conclude.

No, this is not a final proof of the Riemann hypothesis. But no one is suggesting it is. In advanced math, narrowing things down is also vital. Indeed, even finding out that a promising idea turns out to be wrong can have a lot of value—as it has a number of times in the related Twin Primes Conjecture that still eludes mathematicians.

In a collaboration that has lasted 160 years and counting, mathematicians continue to take each step together and then, hopefully, compare notes.

Caroline Delbert is a writer, avid reader, and contributing editor at Pop Mech. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. 

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He Turned His High School Science Fair Project Into a Product That Solves a $390 Billion Problem: 'This Has Not Been Done Before' Vasya Tremsin was just 18 years old when he came up with the idea for outdoor fire sensor company Torch Sensors.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas Jul 11, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Torch Sensors' innovative network of sensors can detect fires at great distances, providing comprehensive protection.
• Tremsin says adaptability and continuous learning are essential for young entrepreneurs pursuing their big ideas.

In 2018, Vasya Tremsin, now COO of outdoor fire sensor company Torch Sensors , was a senior in high school when he saw a familiar but troubling sight on a drive back from Lake Tahoe : a "really big" California wildfire . "I thought to myself, Why does this happen over and over and over? " Tremsin recalls.

Growing up in the state, Tremsin often saw large wildfires alongside the highway and on the news, but something clicked that day, and after further research, he realized that "the problem was actually way worse" than he'd believed. Some experts estimate that wildfires account for 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions , and a 2023 congressional report found that they cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually .

When Tremsin began exploring the issue, "there was basically no technology" that could detect wildfires early enough to stop them before they grew larger, he says. So Tremsin decided to work on the idea for a science fair project — and his invention went on to win the best-of-category award at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Related: 8 Tips for Entrepreneurial High School Students Ready to Start Their First Businesses

A judge at the fair encouraged Tremsin to turn his idea into a real product . "I was just a high school student," he says, "so I wasn't aware of how startups or funding works or how to build a company — because I was 18 years old." However, one of the judges introduced Tremsin to Michael Buckwald, the co-founder and then-CEO of Leap Motion, a hand-tracking sensor technology company. Buckwald would become Tremsin's co-founder, along with his father, Anton Tremsin, and now serves as Torch Sensors' CEO.

"We quickly realized that at scale, this technology would be much more powerful."

Tremsin says the first prototype for the sensor took a while to build, as they had to make it "very robust" with reliable detection capabilities. To that end, they outfitted the product with infrared and spectral analysis cameras and gas, temperature and humidity sensors, all of which work in tandem "to give you a confident measurement" confirmed by multiple variables, Tremsin explains.

"We quickly realized that at scale , this technology would be much more powerful," Tremsin says. "The sensors can actually create this network aspect, and they can cover and protect an entire area — an entire property or community. We went from just one sensor spotting a fire to building a network of sensors covering a whole terrain."

Additionally, Torch Sensors uses its data and other wildfire data sources to help spread the "safety net."

"We [went] to different types of burns all around California to test and calibrate the sensors ourselves," Tremsin says. "After that, we were ready to demo to the big customers. We've been doing a lot of demos within the past year and a half, and we have good feedback , especially about the distance that we are able to see the fire from — we were able to see a fire that's just a few feet in size from the distance of a football field. Sometimes, you couldn't even see it with your eyes, but our sensors were still able to spot it that far away."

Related: The Economic Toll of Maui Wildfires Could Reach a Staggering $6 Billion, Governor Encourages Tourists to 'Help Speed the Recovery'

Image Credit: Courtesy of Torch Sensors

Torch Sensors' product generated considerable interest from large enterprises and communities with substantial assets that needed protection.

"They're constantly in a state of pain and worry because of wildfires that can come to them and destroy a lot of the things that they've built or own," Tremsin explains. "So we're alleviating that pain as much as possible with this all-in-one solution that includes a deep-tech hardware product and all of the data we collect."

Related: 21 Success Tips for Young and Aspiring Entrepreneurs

We were literally not able to ramp up and scale the production as fast as we needed for the thousands of acres of coverage that we had demand for."

The high demand has proven challenging from a supply-chain standpoint, Tremsin says.

"We were literally not able to ramp up and scale the production as fast as we needed for the thousands of acres of coverage that we had demand for," he explains, "which is a great problem to have, but it also creates a lot of pressure. We've had utility companies, parks, government entities, private landowners, asking us, 'When can I have this product? When is it going to be ready? We really need this.'"

Fortunately, the company found at least two suppliers for each key sensitive component to help streamline the process as it moves forward. Tremsin says the company is conducting its first batch of enterprise pilot tests this summer.

Related: Jeff Bezos Gets Slammed for Meager 690,000 Donation to Australian Wildfire Crisis

Being a young entrepreneur hasn't been without its challenges, Tremsin admits, especially when it comes to establishing credibility and trust . "As a very young person, I've had to prove that our technology does what we claim it does," he says. "Because it's so novel and has not been done before, there's a lot of initial skepticism about what our product can do."

As Torch Sensors continues to prove its technology and scale, Tremsin looks forward to expanding to areas outside the U.S. and doing further research and development on product capabilities, whether it's increasing the sensors' range, decreasing their power usage or making them even better at detecting. He hopes to develop some of those capabilities with government agencies to garner more widespread support and "help all of us fight the problem of wildfires at scale."

Related: 15 Young Founders Rethinking Everything From Artificial Intelligence to Carbon Removal, Sustainable Fashion to...Pizza!

"I had to become more open-minded and willing to accept any and all feedback."

Tremsin also has some advice for young entrepreneurs who want to see their big idea make a real impact on the world.

"Be as adaptable as you can, and treat everything as a learning experience," Tremsin says. "Step one is destroying your ego and being willing to accept that your opinion and way of doing something might be wrong, and it might be best for you to change it. Everything, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it is in the moment, is a learning experience [that] will 100% come in handy in the future. While building Torch, I had to become more open-minded and willing to accept any and all feedback, whether it's from my customers, my co-founders or even from the people who work for me. And I've gained a terrific base of knowledge."

This article is part of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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Committing, tackling, and solving: Talking about crime

Listen to the author reading this blog post.

by  Liz Walter

Today’s post is the first in a short series on the topic of crime and it looks at some general vocabulary. Once again, I will be focusing on collocations , or words that go together.

The most important verb you need to talk about crime is commit . We use this both with the word ‘crime’ itself, and with the names of specific crime such as murder or theft . Remember not to use the verb ‘do’ – although people would understand you, it would be considered an error in an exam:

They were committing a crime by flying their drone in the area.

What led her to commit murder?

Someone who commits a crime is a criminal . A nice collocation for a person who has committed a lot of crimes and doesn’t care much about them is hardened criminal :

By the time he was thirty, he was already a hardened criminal.

In more formal contexts, a crime can be called an offence (UK)/ offense (US). The related noun is  offender :

It’s an offence to smoke in this building.

He works with young offenders.

Serious crimes are very bad, whereas the adjectives minor or the slightly more formal petty are used for less serious crimes. Another common collocation is violent , for crimes where people are hurt. In US English, the terms felony and misdemeanor are used to distinguish between serious and less serious crimes. ‘Felony’ is often used before the name of a specific crime:

She was accused of committing a serious crime.

Many of these youngsters are involved in petty crime.

He was held on a charge of felony assault.

The assault was classed as a misdemeanor.

There are several nice collocations connected with stopping crime or making it less common. We try to prevent or reduce crime, or slightly more emphatically to fight , tackle , or combat it:

Improved street lighting can reduce crime.

The government has set out new measures to tackle crime.

If you report a crime, you tell the police about it. The police investigate crimes, and with luck, solve them:

We reported the break-in immediately.

Officers are investigating a shooting in the area.

Her evidence helped police solve the crime.

A common way of describing types of crime is to put another noun in front of the word ‘crime’, for example, gun crime , knife crime , hate crime (committed because of prejudice such as racism), and sex crime :

There has been an increase in knife crime.

Damage to the mosque is being treated as a hate crime.

If someone commits a lot of crimes, we might say they go on a crime spree , while a crime wave occurs when lots of crimes are committed in a particular period:

The gang went on a crime spree, stealing several cars.

Drug addiction has led to a crime wave in the area.

My next post will continue the theme of crime, looking particularly at ways of taking about stealing.

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I’m so happy you’re back with your posts 🙂 (Btw has there ever been a post on this blog on problems with neighbours?)

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What cognitive tests can show — and what they can’t

FILE - President Joe Biden, speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden undergo cognitive testing after his dismal debate performance – even though his physician says he gets, and passes, an annual neurologic exam. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

The memorandum released by the White House from President Joe Biden’s physician Kevin C. O’Connor to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is photographed Monday, July 8, 2024, in Washington. Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden undergo cognitive testing after his dismal debate performance – even though his physician says he gets, and passes, an annual neurologic exam. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the new chant in Washington politics: “Get a cognitive test!”

Political opponents, armchair pundits and even nervous supporters are demanding that President Joe Biden undergo such testing after his dismal debate performance – even though his physician says he gets, and passes, an annual neurologic exam.

Former President Donald Trump, who’s only a few years younger, makes his own gaffes . He recently bragged about passing a 2018 cognitive test – while calling the doctor who administered it by the wrong name .

With all the concern, what can cognitive testing actually tell about a person’s brain health – and what can’t they answer? And presidents aside, does the average older adult need one?

What are cognitive tests?

They’re brief screening tools, a 10-minute series of questions to assess different brain functions. Two of the most common are called the MMSE, Mini-Mental State Exam, and the MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Recalling a list of five unrelated nouns or seeing how many words beginning with F you can say in a minute can assess short-term memory and language. Counting backward by 7s tests attention and concentration. Drawing a clock with the correct time is a clue to spatial awareness.

How reliable are cognitive screenings?

They don’t diagnose health problems. A bad score is just a red flag that indicates a need for further testing to see if there is a health problem and uncover what kind, said Dr. James Galvin, a neurologist at the University of Miami.

This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.

A good score usually is good news. But the highly educated especially tend to be good test-takers even if cognitive trouble is starting to brew. So if someone scores OK yet they, a family member or the doctor sees some day-to-day concern, more testing still could be warranted.

“We simply use it as a benchmark to determine our suspicion level,” Galvin said.

When and how often should cognitive screenings be done?

“A screening test is exactly a snapshot in time. So it tells you in that moment how someone does on that test,” Galvin stressed. “It doesn’t tell you how a person is functioning in their everyday life.”

Simply reporting a concern is reason enough for a primary care doctor to perform one. But it’s also supposed to be part of the annual Medicare wellness visit for those 65 and older.

Galvin wouldn’t discuss Biden or Trump because he hasn’t examined them — but said that generally it’s a good idea for seniors to get checked yearly to spot changes. It’s much like how doctors don’t assume your blood pressure’s still fine, they measure it.

How is a cognitive test different from a neurologic exam?

Cognitive screenings are “pencil and paper tests” usually handled by primary care doctors, while neurologic exams generally are performed by a specialist, Galvin said.

It’s a very detailed physical exam. Doctors watch the patient’s speech patterns and behavior, test how key nerves are functioning, check reflexes that can signal brain diseases and assess muscle tone and function.

If either kind of test signals real cognitive concerns, the next step may be more intensive neuropsychological testing — an exam that often lasts up to three hours.

After an exhaustive interview of the patient and any accompanying family members, the neuropsychologist goes through tests and tasks designed to check specific brain functions – intelligence, memory, verbal ability, problem-solving and reasoning skills, visual and auditory responses, emotion and mood. They may use puzzles, objects to rearrange, or drawing and writing tests.

Blood tests and brain scans also may be ordered. Special types of PET scans can detect Alzheimer’s hallmark amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. An MRI can detect past strokes, helpful in diagnosing vascular dementia.

How can you tell if cognitive concerns are a disease or just getting older?

“Age makes us do things a lot slower,” Galvin said. “We move slower. We think slower. But we’re still moving correctly and we’re still thinking correctly – it just takes us longer.”

Examples of slower cognitive “processing” might be difficulty remembering a name, numbers or specific details under pressure – but they come back to you later.

Galvin noted that sometimes, reversible health problems mimic cognitive trouble. For example, urinary tract infections are notorious for causing sudden confusion in older people. Certain medications affect memory, as can thyroid problems, depression, even poorly controlled diabetes.

Anyone who’s worried about their memory should talk to their doctor, or seek a specialist, “who can reassure you that everything’s OK or develop a treatment plan that’s specific for you,” he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.