astronomy

Sid Parnes

Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes rather than just read about it. In short: Sidney J. Parnes (January 5, 1922 – August 19, 2013) was an American academic who was professor at Buffalo State University (located in Buffalo, New York) and the co-founder of the International Center for Studies in Creativity.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Sidney J. Parnes (January 5, 1922 – August 19, 2013) was an American academic who was professor at Buffalo State University (located in Buffalo, New York) and the co-founder of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. The center is housed within Buffalo State University, one of the few places in the world that offers a Master's of Science degree in creativity. The department also now offers a distance learning version of the degree to students around the world as well as an undergraduate minor in creative studies. Parnes was a lifetime trustee of the Creative Education Foundation (CEF). He joined the CEF in 1955 to help develop a comprehensive educational program for the Creative Problem Solving Institute, which is the world's longest-running international creativity conference. In 1966, CEF's founder, Alex Osborn died, leaving Parnes to head the foundation. Parnes and Alex Osborn developed the Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS), a structured method for generating solutions to problems. This method is taught annually at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, the Creative Problem Solving Institute and the CREA Conference in Europe.

Selected works Parnes, Sidney J. (1960). Instructors manual for semester courses in creative problem solving. Creative Education Foundation. Parnes, Sidney J. (1961). Student workbook for creative problem-solving courses and institutes. University of Buffalo. Parnes, Sidney J., ed. (June 1962). A Source Book for Creative Thinking. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-10448-5. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) Parnes, Sidney J. (1966). Programming Creative Behavior. State University of New York. Parnes, Sidney J. (1967). Creative Behavior Guidebook. Charles Scribner's Sons. Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1972). Creativity: Unlocking Human Potential. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-0-914634-05-8. Parnes, Sidney J. (1974). Toward Supersanity: Channeled Freedom. D.O.K. Publishers. Parnes, Sidney J. (1975). Aha! Insights Into Creative Behavior. D.O.K. Publishers. Parnes, Sidney J. (1976). Assessing Creative Growth: Measured Changes Book 2. Creative Education Foundation. Parnes, Sidney J.; Noller, Ruth B. (February 1, 1977). Guide to Creative Action. Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-14888-5. Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1981). Magic of Your Mind. Creative Education Foundation. Parnes, Sidney J. (June 1985). Facilitating Style of Leadership. Bearly Limited. ISBN 978-0-943456-08-9. Parnes, Sidney J. (1988). Visionizing: State-of-the-Art Processes for Encouraging Innovative Excellence. D.O.K. Publishers. ISBN 0-88047-156-5. Parnes, Sidney J. (1992). Visionizing : State-of-the-art processes for encouraging innovative excellence. Creative Education Foundation Press. Parnes, Sidney J. (December 1992). Visionizing. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-0-930222-88-8. Parnes, Sidney J., ed. (December 1992). Source Book for Creative Problem Solving: A Fifty Year Digest of Proven Innovation Processes. Creative Education Foundation. ISBN 978-99945-974-9-9. Parnes, Sidney J. (September 1, 1997). OPTIMIZE the Magic of Your Mind. Bearly Limited. ISBN 978-0-943456-41-6.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sid Parnes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes

In research: Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes 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: Sid Parnes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1922 births, 2013 deaths, 20th-century American psychologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Sid Parnes in simple terms?

Why does Sid Parnes 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 Sid Parnes?

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 Sid Parnes.