earth science

Philip Sidney Smith

Philip Sidney Smith is a earth science 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 Philip Sidney Smith rather than just read about it. In short: Philip Sidney Smith (28 July 1877 - 10 May 1949) was an American geologist and specialist in the geology of Alaska. Biography On 28 July 1877, Smith was born in Medford, Massachusetts.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Philip Sidney Smith (28 July 1877 - 10 May 1949) was an American geologist and specialist in the geology of Alaska.

Biography On 28 July 1877, Smith was born in Medford, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University, and under the influence of Nathaniel Shaler, entered the field of geology. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1904, and joined the Alaskan division of the United States Geological Survey in 1906 under Alfred H. Brooks. In 1925, he was promoted to Chief Alaskan Geologist. In 1929, he served as an official delegate to the Fourth Pacific Scientific Congress in Java, and in 1937, he was Chairman of the US delegation to the Seventeenth International Geological Congress in the Soviet Union. He served as Governor of the Arctic Institute of North America from 1944 until his death. Smith died of pneumonia on 10 May 1949 in St. Albans, Vermont. He was buried in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

Legacy The Philip Smith Mountains were named for Smith in 1950.

References

Further reading Moefit, P. H.; Reed, J. C.; Washburn, A. L. (June 1950). "Memorial to Philip Sidney Smith". Proceedings Volume of the Geological Society of America Annual Report for 1949: 217–276. Retrieved 11 April 2022.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Philip Sidney Smith

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Philip Sidney Smith claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, 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 Philip Sidney Smith 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 Philip Sidney Smith 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 Philip Sidney Smith

In research: Philip Sidney Smith appears in earth science 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 Philip Sidney Smith 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: Philip Sidney Smith is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1877 births, 1949 deaths, American geologist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Philip Sidney Smith 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 Philip Sidney Smith in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Philip Sidney Smith 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 Philip Sidney Smith out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Philip Sidney Smith in simple terms?

Philip Sidney Smith (28 July 1877 - 10 May 1949) was an American geologist and specialist in the geology of Alaska. Biography On 28 July 1877, Smith was born in Medford, Massachusetts.

Why does Philip Sidney Smith matter?

Because it connects several earth science 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 Philip Sidney Smith?

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 Philip Sidney Smith.