Prompt library
Generate analogies and stress-test them
Naming the load-bearing structure first forces analogies that preserve the right relation instead of surface resemblance. Pricing each analogy by the wrong conclusion it invites, then installing the boundary in the same breath as the analogy, is how good teachers use them without collateral damage.
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
The prompt
Generate analogies for this concept, then stress-test them.
Concept: {{concept}}
Audience: {{audience}}
Steps:
1. First state the concept's load-bearing structure in one sentence: the relationship the analogy must preserve (a flow, a hierarchy, a feedback loop, a trade-off).
2. Produce 5 candidate analogies from domains this audience knows. For each: the mapping made explicit (X is like A, Y is like B), and what the analogy explains well.
3. Stress-test each: the first wrong conclusion a learner would draw by extending it naturally. This is the analogy's real cost.
4. Rank by explanatory-power-to-damage ratio and pick a winner.
5. For the winner, write the 2-sentence classroom version: the analogy plus the immediate "but unlike A, X..." correction that installs the boundary at first contact.
Reject any analogy whose mapping you cannot state explicitly; vibes-based analogies teach vibes.Run in idaptOpens a new chat with the prompt prefilled. Nothing sends until you press send.
Fill in the variables
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{concept}} | The concept needing an analogy | electrical voltage vs current |
| {{audience}} | Who must get it | adult career-changers in a coding bootcamp |