astronomy

Gerrit Bol

Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol rather than just read about it. In short: Gerrit Bol (May 29, 1906 – February 21, 1989) was a Dutch mathematician who specialized in geometry. He is known for introducing Bol loops in 1937, and Bol's conjecture on sextactic points.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Gerrit Bol (May 29, 1906 – February 21, 1989) was a Dutch mathematician who specialized in geometry. He is known for introducing Bol loops in 1937, and Bol's conjecture on sextactic points.

Life Bol earned his PhD in 1928 at Leiden University under Willem van der Woude. In the 1930s, he worked at the University of Hamburg on the geometry of webs under Wilhelm Blaschke and later projective differential geometry. In 1931 he earned a habilitation. In 1933 Bol signed the Loyalty Oath of German Professors to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist State. In 1942–1945 during World War II, Bol fought on the Dutch side, and was taken prisoner. On the authority of Blaschke, he was released. After the war, Bol became professor at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, until retirement there in 1971.

Works

G. Bol (1934). "Über Drei-Gewebe im vierdimensionalen Raum". Vol. 110. Mathematische Annalen. pp. 431–463. G. Bol (1938). "mit Wilhelm Blaschke: Geometrie der Gewebe. Topologische Fragen der Differentialgeometrie". Julius Springer, Berlin. G. Bol (1942). "Über Eikörper mit Vieleckschatten". Vol. 48. Mathematische Zeitschrift. pp. 227–246. G. Bol (1948). Elemente der analytischen Geometrie. Vol. 1. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen. G. Bol (1949). Elemente der analytischen Geometrie. Vol. 2. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen. G. Bol (1950). Projektive Differentialgeometrie. Vol. 1. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen. G. Bol (1954). Projektive Differentialgeometrie. Vol. 2. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen. G. Bol (1967). Projektive Differentialgeometrie. Vol. 3. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen.

References

External links Literature by and about Gerrit Bol in the German National Library catalogue "Mathematics Genealogy Project". Retrieved 2013-10-29. "Ancientfaces". Retrieved 2013-10-29.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gerrit Bol

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol

In research: Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol 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: Gerrit Bol is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1906 births, 1989 deaths, 20th-century Dutch mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gerrit Bol in simple terms?

Gerrit Bol (May 29, 1906 – February 21, 1989) was a Dutch mathematician who specialized in geometry. He is known for introducing Bol loops in 1937, and Bol's conjecture on sextactic points.

Why does Gerrit Bol 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 Gerrit Bol?

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 Gerrit Bol.