astronomy

Hamilton Jeffers

Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers rather than just read about it. In short: Hamilton Moore Jeffers (13 October 1893 – 28 May 1976) was a noted American astronomer and discoverer of (58093) 1934 JP, an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt. The main-belt asteroid 1934 Jeffers was named in his honor in February 1976 (M.P.C. 3938).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Hamilton Moore Jeffers (13 October 1893 – 28 May 1976) was a noted American astronomer and discoverer of (58093) 1934 JP, an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt. The main-belt asteroid 1934 Jeffers was named in his honor in February 1976 (M.P.C. 3938).

Early life and education Jeffers was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, to Presbyterian minister William Hamilton Jeffers, and Annie Robinson Tuttle (a woman 23 years younger than her husband). His elder brother Robinson Jeffers would become a noted poet. He was graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1917, and received a doctorate in astronomy from the same institution in 1921. As a graduate student, he was particularly noted at the university's Lick Observatory for the quality of his cometary observations.

Career In February 1921, he made instructor of astronomy at the State University of Iowa, and remained so for slightly less than three years. In 1924, he became an assistant astronomer at the Lick Observatory, where he remained until his retirement in 1961, with the exception of the period of 1941 to 1945, during which he took leave to contribute to the war effort. In 1933, he became an Associate Astronomer; and in 1938 he became a full astronomer. Jeffers was noted for the accuracy and precision of his work, which included extensive observations of double stars. During the war years, Jeffers served first at the Radiation Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then as an operations analyst in Alaska and in India. Jeffers married his wife Bobbe in 1950. Upon retirement, Jeffers was made astronomer emeritus at the Lick Observatory. He retired to Carmel Highlands.

Bibliography Shane, C.D.; “Obituary – Jeffers, Hamilton-Moore”, Royal Astronomical Society Quarterly Journal v. 21 (1980), p. 69.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hamilton Jeffers

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers

In research: Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers 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: Hamilton Jeffers is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1893 births, 1978 deaths, 20th-century American people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Hamilton Jeffers in simple terms?

Why does Hamilton Jeffers 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 Hamilton Jeffers?

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 Hamilton Jeffers.