astronomy

Gordon Patterson

Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson rather than just read about it. In short: Gordon Neil Patterson, (1908–1990) was a Canadian physicist, and founder of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). Early life and career Patterson was born in Thornbury, Ontario in 1908.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Gordon Neil Patterson, (1908–1990) was a Canadian physicist, and founder of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).

Early life and career Patterson was born in Thornbury, Ontario in 1908. He graduated from the University of Alberta with an undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics, later completing a doctorate in physics at the University of Toronto in 1935. After graduation he conducted aerodynamics research at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in the United Kingdom, in Australia, and in the USA at Caltech and Princeton, and with the US Navy. He joined the University of Toronto in 1947, and in 1949 he was the founding director of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. One of his students in the early years of UTIAS was controversial Canadian physicist Gerald Bull. From 1958 to 1959 he served as President of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. Starting in 1961 he began nine years on the technical panel of Canada's National Research Council, as well as being an advisor to NASA from 1962-1965.

Order of Canada Citation On November 17, 1988 he was awarded the Order of Canada, in the grade of Officer. His citation reads: He is widely regarded as Canada's "Father of Aerophysics". He founded the Institute for Aerospace Studies at the University of Toronto and was one of the authors of the Science Council of Canada's first report. His work helped establish Canada's international role in space research and has inspired generations of Canadian and international students in aerospace and engineering.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gordon Patterson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson

In research: Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson 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: Gordon Patterson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1908 births, 1990 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gordon Patterson in simple terms?

Gordon Neil Patterson, (1908–1990) was a Canadian physicist, and founder of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). Early life and career Patterson was born in Thornbury, Ontario in 1908.

Why does Gordon Patterson 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 Gordon Patterson?

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 Gordon Patterson.