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=====Tricks Claude E. Shannon Used in His Research and Creative Thinking=====
Extracted from a video about him from 2015 presented to the Lexington Computer and Technology Group on 9/18/2024
	

====Tricks for formulating and solving problems====

  - <fs medium>Simplification: get rid of enough detail (including practical aspects) for intuitive understanding.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Similarity to a known problem (experience helps)</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Reformulate (avoid getting in a rut)</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Generalize (more than opposite of simplify)</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Structural analysis (break problem into pieces)</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Inversion (work back from the desired result)</fs>


====Other tricks that Shannon often used====

  - <fs medium>Be interested in several interesting problems at all times. Work on the most interesting one.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Look for contradictions as well as proofs.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Study what is happening in multiple fields. But don't work on what many others are working on.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Ask conceptual questions about everyday things.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Don't write papers unless you really want to share something fascinating.</fs>\\ \\ 
  - <fs medium>Don't assume your readers know everything you do. Spoon feeding not a bad idea. </fs>