computer science

Harold Thimbleby

Harold Thimbleby is a computer 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 Harold Thimbleby rather than just read about it. In short: Harold W. Thimbleby (born 19 July 1955) is an emeritus professor of computer science at Swansea University.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Harold W. Thimbleby (born 19 July 1955) is an emeritus professor of computer science at Swansea University. He is known for his works on user interface design within the realm of human computer interaction.

Overview Harold Thimbleby held the post of director of UCLIC, University College London's Interaction Centre, from its establishment in 2001. From 2001 to 2004, he was also the 28th Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London. Thimbleby founded the Future Interaction Technology Lab at Swansea University in 2005. Thimbleby ran the Swansea University Research Forum, as well as giving talks on science and religion.

Research interests Thimbleby's research interests include:

Interactive handwriting calculators Improving medical devices [1] Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Improving ethics in research [2] Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Markov Modeling [3] Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Matrix Modeling [4] Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Selected works Article on literate programming,1986 (Winner of the British Computer Society Wilkes Award.) User Interface Design, Addison-Wesley, 1990. HyperProgramming, with G. F. Coulouris, Addison-Wesley, 1990. Press On, MIT Press, 2007. (Winner, in the Computer and Information Sciences category, of the Association of American Publishers' Publishing Awards for Excellence competition.) The Diversity and Ethics, with Paul Cairns, University College London Interaction Center.

References

External links Harold Thimbleby home page Archived 15 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine Harold W. Thimbleby at DBLP Bibliography Server

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Harold Thimbleby

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Harold Thimbleby claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer 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 Harold Thimbleby 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 Harold Thimbleby 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 Harold Thimbleby

In research: Harold Thimbleby appears in computer 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 Harold Thimbleby 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: Harold Thimbleby is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1955 births, Academics of Gresham College, Academics of Swansea University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Harold Thimbleby 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 Harold Thimbleby in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Harold Thimbleby in simple terms?

Harold W. Thimbleby (born 19 July 1955) is an emeritus professor of computer science at Swansea University.

Why does Harold Thimbleby matter?

Because it connects several computer 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 Harold Thimbleby?

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 Harold Thimbleby.