physics

Hohm

Hohm is a physics 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 Hohm rather than just read about it. In short: Microsoft Hohm was an online web application by Microsoft that enabled consumers to analyze their energy usage and provided energy saving recommendations. History Announced on June 24, 2009, Microsoft Hohm was built on the Windows Azure cloud operating system.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Microsoft Hohm was an online web application by Microsoft that enabled consumers to analyze their energy usage and provided energy saving recommendations.

History Announced on June 24, 2009, Microsoft Hohm was built on the Windows Azure cloud operating system. Microsoft licensed the Home Energy Saver energy simulation program developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to drive Microsoft Hohm. It was publicly released on July 6, 2009. Home Energy Saver and Hohm received an R&D 100 Award in 2010.

Fate of Hohm The Hohm service was discontinued on May 31, 2012, due to a lack of consumer uptake.

See also Google PowerMeter Home energy monitor OPOWER

References

"Microsoft Reveals Its Energy Management Tool: Hohm". 2009-05-24. "Microsoft Hohm scores home energy efficiency". 2010-05-26. "New York Auto Show: Ford, Microsoft and E.V.'s". The New York Times. 2010-03-31.

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hohm

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

In research: Hohm appears in physics 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 Hohm 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: Hohm is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electric power stubs, Energy conservation, Microsoft software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hohm 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 Hohm in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Hohm in simple terms?

Microsoft Hohm was an online web application by Microsoft that enabled consumers to analyze their energy usage and provided energy saving recommendations. History Announced on June 24, 2009, Microsoft Hohm was built on the Windows Azure cloud operating system.

Why does Hohm matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Hohm?

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 Hohm.