engineering

International Commission on Large Dams

International Commission on Large Dams is a engineering 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 International Commission on Large Dams rather than just read about it. In short: The International Commission on Large Dams, or ICOLD (French: Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages or CIGB), is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the sharing of professional information and knowledge of the design, construction, maintenance, and impact of large dams. Overview It was founded in 1928 and has its central office in Paris, France.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The International Commission on Large Dams, or ICOLD (French: Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages or CIGB), is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the sharing of professional information and knowledge of the design, construction, maintenance, and impact of large dams.

Overview It was founded in 1928 and has its central office in Paris, France. ICOLD consists of 100 member national committees which have a total membership of about 10,000 individuals. Official languages of the commission are English and French.

Definition For the purpose of inclusion in the World Register of Dams, a large dam is defined as any dam above 15 metres in height (measured from the lowest point of foundation to top of dam) or any dam between 10 and 15 metres in height which meets at least one of the following conditions: a) the crest length is not less than 500 metres; b) the capacity of the reservoir formed by the dam is not less than one million cubic metres; c) the maximum flood discharge dealt with by the dam is not less than 2 000 cubic metres per second; d) the dam had specially difficult foundation problems; e) the dam is of unusual design. - ICOLD's definition of "large dam".

See also United States Society on Dams is the member organization representing the US in ICOLD. British Dam Society is the United Kingdom national committee for ICOLD.

References

External links Official Website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International Commission on Large Dams

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International Commission on Large Dams claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, 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 International Commission on Large Dams 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 International Commission on Large Dams 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 International Commission on Large Dams

In research: International Commission on Large Dams appears in engineering 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 International Commission on Large Dams 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: International Commission on Large Dams is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Civil engineering organizations, Dam-related organizations, French organisation stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International Commission on Large Dams 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 International Commission on Large Dams in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International Commission on Large Dams 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is International Commission on Large Dams in simple terms?

Why does International Commission on Large Dams matter?

Because it connects several engineering 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 International Commission on Large Dams?

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 International Commission on Large Dams.