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47 Comparisons Nobody Asked For But You Might Be Interested To See
We understand new things by putting them against what we already know—the differences and similarities that emerge help us grasp details in ways that abstract definitions often can't.
So for this list, we've compiled a set of funny, bizarre, and even unsettling comparisons. From everyday objects to cool inventions and rare natural phenomena, each side-by-side photo offers a fresh way to look at the world around us.
There are so many curiosities out there, we just have to open our eyes!
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Before And After Playdate
Bald Eagle Size vs. Grey Wolf, Caught On Trail Cam
The scientific term for analyzing new ideas by placing them beside something familiar is analogical thinking.
Psychologist Dedre Gentner's structure-mapping research shows analogies work because people map relational patterns between a known "base" and an unknown "target," not merely surface similarities. That relational mapping is what lets a learner transfer understanding from one domain to another.
Shirts Before And After Losing 400 Lbs
The Size Of A Hummingbird Nest
A Soldier's Face After 4 Years Of War, 1941- 1945
Gentner herself often uses the classic analogy of flowing water compared to electrical circuits.
In the "base" domain of water flow, water moves through pipes under pressure from water towers or elevation. In the "target" domain of electricity, electrical current flows through wires driven by voltage (electrical pressure).
Despite the differences—pipes vs. wires, water vs. electrons—the relational structure is the same, and it's that shared relational schema that makes the analogy meaningful.
Before And After: Graffiti Commissioned By Local Government In Pachuca, Mexico
Before And After Taking My Golden Retriever To The Beach
Two Different Currents Meeting Off The Coast Of Vancouver, British Columbia
These Are X-Rays Taken Before And After The Surgery
It has been 4 years to the day since I had my scoliosis surgery. The surgery itself took 14 hours. Surgeons drilled metal straightening bars into my spine.
Education researchers have put this into practice. Studies and systematic reviews of classroom work find that analogies, especially when visual or explicitly mapped out, help learners anchor abstract scientific concepts in everyday experience.
Teachers commonly use images, textual cues, and audiovisual aids to compare known and unknown domains, and these strategies are associated with improved comprehension when used methodically.
