50 Comparisons Nobody Asked For But You Might Be Interested To See (New Pics)

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.

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.

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.