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astronomy

Hugh D. Young

Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young rather than just read about it. In short: Hugh David Young (November 3, 1930 – August 20, 2013) was an American physicist who taught physics for 52 years at Carnegie Mellon University. Young is best known for co-authoring the later editions of University Physics, a highly regarded introductory physics textbook, with Francis Sears and Mark Zemansky.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Hugh David Young (November 3, 1930 – August 20, 2013) was an American physicist who taught physics for 52 years at Carnegie Mellon University. Young is best known for co-authoring the later editions of University Physics, a highly regarded introductory physics textbook, with Francis Sears and Mark Zemansky. Hugh Young became a coauthor in 1973. Young was born on November 3, 1930, in Ames, Iowa, and was raised in Mondamin and Osage, Iowa. He came to Carnegie Mellon as an undergraduate physics major in 1948, and, by 1959, had earned a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and PhD in Physics from the university. He later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music in 1972, concentrating in organ performance. Except for brief visiting professorships at the University of California, Berkeley, Young spent 60 years at Carnegie Mellon. He taught more than 18,000 students and attained international prominence as a leading author of physics textbooks, including books on the statistical treatment of data, laboratory techniques, fundamental topics in introductory physics, and a survey text, University Physics, on which his collaboration with Sears and Zemansky began in 1973. Now in its 15th edition, University Physics is among the most widely used introductory textbooks in the world. Young also wrote an algebra-based version named Sears and Zemansky's College Physics, which is currently in its 11th edition. In 2001, the Mellon College of Science's College Council approved the Hugh D. Young Graduate Student Teaching Award in his honor. His honors included many of Carnegie Mellon University's highest awards: The William H. and Frances S. Ryan Award for Meritorious Teaching (1965), the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Service Award (1995); The Robert E. Doherty Award for Sustained Contributions to Excellence in Education (1997); the Mellon College of Science's Richard Moore Award (1998); the Andrew Carnegie Society Recognition Award (2007). His lectures were often standing room only and showed not only Young's brilliance, but also his sense of humor. Young died at the age of 82 on August 20, 2013, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.

Books Hugh, Young; Roger Freedman (2019). Sears and Zemansky's University Physics (15th ed.). Pearson Education. Hugh, Young; Roger Freedman (2019). Sears and Zemansky's University Physics with Modern Physics (15th ed.). Pearson Education. Hugh, Young (2019). Sears and Zemansky's College Physics (11th ed.). Addison Wesley. Hugh, Young (1962). Statistical Treatment of Experimental Data. McGraw-Hill. Hugh, Young (1973). Fundamentals of Mechanics and Heat (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill. Hugh, Young (1976). Fundamentals of Waves, Optics and Modern Physics (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill. Bibcode:1976fwom.book.....Y.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hugh D. Young

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young

In research
Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young 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
Hugh D. Young is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1930 births, 2013 deaths, American male non-fiction writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Hugh D. Young means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Hugh D. Young out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hugh D. Young in simple terms?

Hugh David Young (November 3, 1930 – August 20, 2013) was an American physicist who taught physics for 52 years at Carnegie Mellon University. Young is best known for co-authoring the later editions of University Physics, a highly regarded introductory physics textbook, with Francis Sears and Mark…

Why does Hugh D. Young 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 Hugh D. Young?

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 Hugh D. Young.

Tags

  • 1930 births
  • 2013 deaths
  • American male non-fiction writers
  • American physicists
  • American textbook writers
  • Carnegie Mellon University alumni
  • Carnegie Mellon University faculty
  • People from Ames, Iowa
  • People from Harrison County, Iowa
  • People from Osage, Iowa

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