science

Gold Medal (RGS)

Gold Medal (RGS) is a 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 Gold Medal (RGS) rather than just read about it. In short: The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards. They are given for "the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery." Royal approval is required before an award can be made. The awards originated as an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV, first made in 1831, "to constitute a premium for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery." The Royal Geographical Society decided in 1839 to change this monetary award into the two gold medals. Prior to 1902 the Patron's Medal was alternatively known as the "Victoria Medal". Recipients include David Livingstone in 1855, Mary Somerville in 1869, Nain Singh Rawat in 1877, Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1878, Alfred Russel Wallace in 1892 and William Woodville Rockhill in 1893, to more recent winners including William Morris Davis in 1919, Sir Halford John Mackinder in 1945, Paul-Émile Victor in 1952, Richard Chorley in 1987 and David Harvey in 1995.

Recipients (since 1970) Source: List of Past Gold Medal Winners by RGS Archived 2018-10-30 at the Wayback Machine

Recipients (1901–1970)

Recipients (1832–1900)

See also List of geography awards Gold medal awards

References

External links List of Past Gold Medal Winners by RGS Archived 2018-10-30 at the Wayback Machine List of Past Gold Medal Winners

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gold Medal (RGS)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gold Medal (RGS) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In 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 Gold Medal (RGS) 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 Gold Medal (RGS) 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 Gold Medal (RGS)

In research: Gold Medal (RGS) appears in 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 Gold Medal (RGS) 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: Gold Medal (RGS) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Awards of Royal Geographical Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gold Medal (RGS) 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 Gold Medal (RGS) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gold Medal (RGS) in simple terms?

The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards.

Why does Gold Medal (RGS) matter?

Because it connects several 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 Gold Medal (RGS)?

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 Gold Medal (RGS).