Fluid intelligence is your ability to apply any information you have (whether it’s extensive or not) to new contexts. It is your innate ability to reason, to think, to identify patterns, and to solve problems. We’ve all known people who have a remarkable retention for what they’ve learned, and can learn quickly, but lack the ability to apply that information—they would be high in crystallized but low in fluid intelligence. Some people with photographic memories are like that.
