Knowledge Vs. Understanding

How does one differentiate knowledge and understanding? Webster’s dictionary defines knowledge as “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association”. It also defines understanding as “ a mental grasp and the power of comprehending”. These  are two very distinct concepts. Knowledge is when you have gone through an experience and thus you know how something works. Understanding can be considered being “book smart”; you only know what you have heard, read, or seen. You know why something works but you don’t know how it works or how it feels to work. Consider, for example, riding a bike. You can read how to ride a bike and learn how everything works. This is your understanding of riding a bike. However, it is not until you actually ride a bike that you have the knowledge of how to ride a bike. You need understanding to receive knowledge but you don’t need knowledge to get an understanding of something. Yet, acquiring both of them is essential for a balanced state of mind over a concept. Imagine how you would feel if you knew how to ride a bike but you didn’t know why the pedals make the bike move or you know how a bike moves but you have no idea how it feels when it moves. It would be a very transparent intelligence. Knowledge and understanding are two very different concepts but they go both go hand in hand to help each and every human being reach their state of intelligence that we are blessed to be able to have.