Page 1 of 6
IA Prompt 8.- To what extent is certainty attainable?
This IA prompt seeks to explore the level of certainty that can be achieved during the
acquisition of knowledge, and to gauge if the level of certainty attained can be the same for all
kinds of knowledge. Certainty cannot be defined unequivocally for many reasons like its
diversification, the concept of time attached to it, and the reasoning involved in arriving at that
conclusion. The role of the knower becomes a crucial part of this evaluation because they can
compute the data available in that context to determine what level of certainty they can achieve.
Fig. 1: MY FRENCH NOTEBOOK
Source: Self, Self. Using iPhone 13
The first object is my French notebook which contains notes that I collected over my
first year of learning the language. As a beginner, my notes are an indispensable part of what I
know about the language. This object is an essential part of my exhibition because it represents
my journey of navigating how language and its means of acquisition can impact our knowledge
Page 2 of 6
of the world, thus prompting my exploration of the theme language and the knower. I rely
heavily on my notes to learn French. It was a new language to me, and I found it hard without
any skeleton structure that could guide me. So, I wrote my notes in such a way that I correlated
French words and ideas for concepts that I already knew in English. My book consisted of plain
translations that sometimes did not make sense. Over time, after consistently showing my notes
to my teacher and using them to prepare for the exam that tested components like speaking,
reading, and writing, I realized that I was limiting my acquisition of knowledge because of the
language barrier. Translating ideas across languages is tricky because sometimes those ideas
are unique to a particular language only and cannot be established in any other language. I
experienced this when I referred to my notebook and found French sentences that lost their
meaning partially or completely, once I had translated them into English. This is an example
of how the knowledge of a language, in my case English, impacted the procurement of new
knowledge, the language French. An idea can be completely valid and can be established
beyond a reasonable doubt in one language but may not hold in another language. This helped
me frame the conclusion that absolute certainty cannot be established equally across all
languages.
Page 3 of 6
Fig. 2: MUSIC BOX
Source: Self, Self. Using iPhone 13
The second object which I have selected for my exhibition is a music box gifted to me
by my parents when I was a young girl. This music box plays 'Hedwig's Theme' by John
Williams from the famous Harry Potter series. I wanted to include this object in my exhibition
as I felt it would convey my process of determining to what extent certainty is attainable in
arts, where variables like the artist's intent, the art itself, and the knower impact art's validity. I
also wanted to explore if it is possible to come to a common conclusion regarding the purpose
of that art piece. As a kid, I would check the accuracy of the box by repeatedly turning it at
different speeds, intervals, and in reverse to check its reliability. Eventually, I established
beyond doubt that it would play the same tune due to its mechanism of the metal prongs.
vibrating at a particular frequency to produce each unique note of the combined theme. I
realized that no matter who interprets the tune, its validity will not change. Sensation is
established here that is independent of individual interpretation and is not influenced by bias,
judgment, or mental maps. This learning experience helped me understand that art is not always
ambiguous and that the general people can come to a common conclusion in some cases. Thus,
Page 4 of 6
certainty about the art's purpose can be established courtesy of the sensation they produce like
the music box that eliminated the chances of diminishing certainty due to subjective
interpretation.
Fig. 3: CHEMISTRY ASSESSMENT PAPER
Source: Self, Self. Using iPhone 13
My third object is an assessment paper on the subject of Chemistry where the concept
of significant figures was assessed. This object is a crucial part of my exhibition because it
allows me to explore the extent of certainty attainable in the field of natural sciences. This field
follows a scientific method of exploration and experimentation to arrive at the most accurate
conclusion. Thus, including this object will prompt a better understanding of the quantifiable
aspect of certainty. Per my understanding, significant figures represent the required answer
with the most accurate and verified numbers, with one digit being uncertain. As a knower with
Page 5 of 6
limited comprehension, I had a common fallacy that the number of significant figures was
directly proportional to the level of certainty attained. But with experience, I learned that the
correct answer may not always need an overstated number of figures to be considered precise;
the calculations shown must also tally with the number of significant figures in the initial
question. In my case, though the answer I submitted was correct, it was not accepted because I
did not adhere to the figures in the values mentioned in the question. This experience rectified
my understanding of the concept through empirical observation because I understood that the
level of certainty attained might vary with different contexts. Theoretically, we can achieve a
high degree of accuracy by augmenting the number of significant figures, it is essential to
consider the knower and their surroundings by defining context while determining the extent
of certainty that may be achieved. I learned that even fields like the sciences that excel in
providing a high degree of precision and certainty might be incorrect when the context
presented to the knower has been misinterpreted.
WORD COUNT-949
(EXCLUDING PROMPT AND TITLES)
Page 6 of 6
Bibliography1. 2Rucker, Michael. “Three Types of Certainty.” Mike Rucker, Ph.D., 11 May 2020,
hmichaelrucker.com/having-fun/three-types certainty/#:~:text=There%20are
%20three%20different%20types,belief%3B%20and %203)%20conviction.
Accessed 10 April 2023.
2. Reed, Baron. “Certainty.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Metaphysics
Research Lab, Stanford University,2022,plato.stanford. edu/ entries/ /#KinCer
Accessed 12 April 2023.
3. Stranovská, Eva, and Silvia Hvozdíková. “Certainty and the Linguistic Intervention
Program in Foreign Language Learning.” American Journal of Educational
Research, vol. 3, no. 6, 29 May 2015. Accessed 12 April 2023.
4. Self, Self. French Ab Initio notebook. Abc school, India.
5. Self, Self. Chemistry Assessment 1 Semester 2 Paper. Abc school, India.
Image
1. Figure 1. Self, Self. “My French notebook.” French Ab Initio. Using iPhone 13.
17 April 2023.
2. Figure 2. Self, Self. “Music Box.” Using iPhone 13. 17 April 2023.
3. Figure 3. Self, Self. “My Chemistry Assessment.” Chemistry Assessment 1
Semester 2 Using iPhone 13. 17 April 2023.