astronomy

Perry O. Simons

Perry O. Simons is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Perry O. Simons rather than just read about it. In short: Perry Oveitt Simons (October 6, 1869 – 1901) was an American scientific collector. He predominantly worked in the Neotropics.

Key takeaways

Perry O. Simons belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Perry O. Simons to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Perry O. Simons from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Perry Oveitt Simons (October 6, 1869 – 1901) was an American scientific collector. He predominantly worked in the Neotropics.

Early life and education Simons was born on October 6, 1869, in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, the son of Luther B. Simons (1836–1917) and Laura Simona (née Hollingsworth, later Harreld, 1851–1931). In 1886 he left Wisconsin for Riverside, California, where he graduated from Riverside High School in 1893. He spent four years at Stanford University as an electrical engineering major. While at Stanford, he assisted William W. Price with a scientific collecting expedition near Lake Tahoe, California in the summer of 1896 . He collected bird and mammal specimens that were deposited in a number of museums around the United States, including the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, and the California Academy of Sciences.

Career Later, he accompanied William W. Price as a scientific collector in Mexico from 1896 to 1897. He was joined by his brother, Luther. The mammal specimens collected on this 10-month expedition were purchased by the British Museum. British Museum zoologist Oldfield Thomas was so pleased by the quality of the specimens, he offered Simons a job collecting additional specimens in South America. Luther accompanied Perry for the first two years of the expedition before sailing back to San Francisco.

Death While crossing the Argentinean Andes around the end of December 1901, Simons was murdered by his guide. The guide struck him in the back of the head before driving a spike through his forehead. His body was found, and it was buried nearby. The motive was said to be robbery, and the guide was captured and imprisoned in Mendoza, Argentina. After Simons's death, Oldfield Thomas called him "the most successful mammal collector that I have ever had to deal with", noting, "we shall not easily find his like again".

Namesake species Several species were named after Simons: Reptiles:

Simons's whorltail iguana (Stenocercus simonsii) Simons's green racer (Philodryas simonsi) Simons's sun tegu (Euspondylus simonsii) Amphibians:

Paramo robber frog (Pristimantis simonsii) Sucre water frog (Telmatobius simonsi) Birds:

Puna tapaculo (Scytalopus simonsi) Mammals:

Simons's spiny rat (Proechimys simonsi) Fish:

Astroblepus simonsii Another species of reptile in the genus Liolaemus was named L. simonsi after him, though it was found to be a synonym of L. ornatus. The mountain degu was also named after him by Oldfield Thomas in 1902, as Neoctodon simonsi, but the name was later found to be invalid.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Perry O. Simons

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Perry O. Simons claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Perry O. Simons before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Perry O. Simons ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Perry O. Simons

In research: Perry O. Simons appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Perry O. Simons in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Perry O. Simons is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1869 births, 1901 deaths, American collectors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Perry O. Simons outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Perry O. Simons in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Perry O. Simons means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Perry O. Simons out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Perry O. Simons in simple terms?

Perry Oveitt Simons (October 6, 1869 – 1901) was an American scientific collector. He predominantly worked in the Neotropics.

Why does Perry O. Simons matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Perry O. Simons?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Perry O. Simons.