astronomy

William Paul Jones

William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones rather than just read about it. In short: William Paul Jones is a pioneer of the field of personal information management (PIM). He has written extensively on the topic, holds seven patents relating to search and personal information management, and was noted for his early contribution to Planz.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William Paul Jones is a pioneer of the field of personal information management (PIM). He has written extensively on the topic, holds seven patents relating to search and personal information management, and was noted for his early contribution to Planz. In 2005, he organized a seminal National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored event the "Invitational Workshop on Personal Information Management". His 2007 Annual Review of Information Systems and Technology survey Personal Information Management continues to be strongly cited. His 2008 book Keeping Found Things Found: The Study and Practice of Personal Information Management was well-received and followed by a three-book series, The Future of Personal Information Management, and articles in the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences. This and other work describing a framework for understanding personal information management has been called "highly influential" by recognized researchers in the field of PIM. Jones' project Keeping Found Things Found was the subject of a 2004 New York Times article and a 2005 Seattle Times piece. Jones’s current work focuses on how people can manage their personal information as they age in order to better achieve optimal health, wealth and the sharing of their legacy.

Biography Jones’s career spans institutions from business to research lab to academic. Jones received his doctorate from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1982 for empirical work and computer-based modeling of human memory. Beginning with his post-doctoral work at Bell Laboratories (later Bellcore) in Murray Hill his research turned to the relationships between human memory and computer-based systems of search and information retrieval. Jones subsequently worked in the MCC research consortium, then Boeing and finally at Microsoft before a 15-year affiliation as a research associate professor in the University of Washington Information School, where he is now Research Associate Professor Emeritus. Jones has co-authored over 40 refereed publications across the disciplines of PIM, human-computer interaction, information retrieval and cognitive psychology.

References

External links Jones’ home page Jones' Google Scholar author profile

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Paul Jones

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones

In research: William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones 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: William Paul Jones is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1952 births, American cognitive scientists, Carnegie Mellon University alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Paul Jones 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “William Paul Jones” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study William Paul Jones in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William Paul Jones in simple terms?

Why does William Paul Jones 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 William Paul Jones?

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 William Paul Jones.