astronomy

Hans List

Hans List 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 Hans List rather than just read about it. In short: Hans List (30 April 1896, Graz, Austria – 10 September 1996, Graz) was a technical scientist and inventor and entrepreneur. Biography After earning a doctorate in engineering at the Technical University in Graz, Hans List was appointed to the Tongji University in China (1926–1932), followed by teaching positions back home in Graz (1932–1941) and Dresden, Germany (until 1945).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Hans List (30 April 1896, Graz, Austria – 10 September 1996, Graz) was a technical scientist and inventor and entrepreneur.

Biography After earning a doctorate in engineering at the Technical University in Graz, Hans List was appointed to the Tongji University in China (1926–1932), followed by teaching positions back home in Graz (1932–1941) and Dresden, Germany (until 1945). His research work yielded insights into functionality and improvement of Diesel motors, and of combustion engines in general. In 1946, List founded an engineering office in Graz, from which the company AVL List ('Anstalt für Verbrennungsmotoren Prof. Dr Hans List') emerged in 1948. In 1979, at the age of 83, he handed over the management of the company AVL List, which had 500 employees at the time, to his son Helmut List.

Decorations and awards Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Honorary Ring of Styria Wilhelm Exner Medal (1971). Honorary Citizen of the City of Graz Honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Graz (1963)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hans List

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hans List 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 Hans List 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 Hans List 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 Hans List

In research: Hans List 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 Hans List 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: Hans List is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1896 births, 1996 deaths, 20th-century Austrian inventors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hans List 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 Hans List in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Hans List in simple terms?

Hans List (30 April 1896, Graz, Austria – 10 September 1996, Graz) was a technical scientist and inventor and entrepreneur. Biography After earning a doctorate in engineering at the Technical University in Graz, Hans List was appointed to the Tongji University in China (1926–1932), followed by teac…

Why does Hans List 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 Hans List?

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 Hans List.