ArticleslgStudy

astronomy

Ida E. Woods

Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods rather than just read about it. In short: Ida E. Woods (September 16, 1870 – October 4, 1940) was an American astronomer at Harvard College Observatory.

Ida E. Woods — main illustration
Ida E. Woods — illustration

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Ida E. Woods (September 16, 1870 – October 4, 1940) was an American astronomer at Harvard College Observatory.

Early life Ida Elizabeth Woods was born in Natick, Massachusetts, the daughter of Oliver Powers Woods and Martha Wright Woods. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1893.

Career Woods began working As a human computer at Harvard College Observatory immediately after graduating from college in 1893, where she worked alongside Harlow Shapley and Annie Jump Cannon. She studied photographic plates to discover dozens of variable stars during her career. She attended the meeting of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) in 1916, when it was held at Harvard. Publications by Woods included "Light Curve and Orbit of a New Eclipsing Binary H. V. 3622" (1922), "Fifty New Variable Stars in the Southern Milky Way" (1926), "The Southern Station of the Harvard Observatory" (1927), and "Forty New Variable Stars in Sagitarrius" (1928).

Woods held the Sarah F. Whitin Fellowship from Wellesley College in 1912, to fund her research at Harvard. She was a member of the Sagamore Sociological Conference.

Personal life Woods died in 1940, at her home in Natick. She was 70 years old.

References

External links Ida E. Woods at Find a Grave Dava Sobel (2016). The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars. Viking. ISBN 978-0670016952.

Illustrations

Ida E. Woods illustration
Ida E. Woods: The meeting of the AAVSO at Harvard in 1916. The two women in the photograph are Ida E. Woods (front row) and Annie Jump Cannon (behind Woods).
The meeting of the AAVSO at Harvard in 1916. The two women in the photograph are Ida E. Woods (front row) and Annie Jump Cannon (behind Woods).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ida E. Woods

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods

In research
Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods 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
Ida E. Woods is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1870 births, 1940 deaths, 19th-century American astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Ida E. Woods 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.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Ida E. Woods” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Ida E. Woods in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Ida E. Woods in simple terms?

Ida E. Woods (September 16, 1870 – October 4, 1940) was an American astronomer at Harvard College Observatory.

Why does Ida E. Woods 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 Ida E. Woods?

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 Ida E. Woods.

Tags

  • 1870 births
  • 1940 deaths
  • 19th-century American astronomers
  • 19th-century American women scientists
  • 20th-century American astronomers
  • 20th-century American women scientists
  • American women astronomers
  • People from Natick, Massachusetts
  • Scientists from Massachusetts
  • Wellesley College alumni

Keep exploring