physics

Ivor Robinson (physicist)

Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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 Ivor Robinson (physicist) rather than just read about it. In short: Ivor Robinson (October 7, 1923 – May 27, 2016) was an Anglo-American mathematical physicist, noted for his contributions to the theory of relativity. He was a principal organizer of the Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Ivor Robinson (October 7, 1923 – May 27, 2016) was an Anglo-American mathematical physicist, noted for his contributions to the theory of relativity. He was a principal organizer of the Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics.

Biography Born "into a comfortable Jewish middle-class family" in Liverpool, October 7, 1923, Ivor Robinson read mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, as an undergraduate, where he was influenced by Abram Samoilovitch Besicovitch. He took his B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1947. His first academic placements were at University College of Wales, King's College London, University of North Carolina, University of Hamburg, Syracuse University and Cornell University. Alfred Schild was developing a department strong in relativity at Austin, Texas, when a second Texas center for relativity research was proposed. Lloyd Berkner was directing the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies at Dallas and brought Ivor Robinson there in 1963 when it was a "windowless cube on the Southern Methodist University campus". Robinson was head of the Mathematics and Mathematical Physics division. "Ivor was charged with the formation of a mathematical physics group concentrating on general relativity and cosmology." He brought Istvan Ozsváth and Wolfgang Rindler to the Dallas area as permanent members of the newly formed group, together with visitors and temporary appointments. This institution became the University of Texas at Dallas. According to Rindler, "No one who knew him will forget what a brilliant conversationalist he was, with his sonorous deep voice and ultra-English accent, with his convictions and occasional mischievousness." "Ivor Robinson is a brilliant mathematician who showed us the elegant simplicity of space-time by pointing to its null structure." Robinson retired in 2000, remaining Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Scientific contributions Ivor Robinson contributed extensively to modern developments in the theory of relativity. He is known for his work on null electromagnetic fields ("Robinson's theorem"), for his collaboration with Andrzej Trautman on models for spherical gravitational waves, and for the Bel–Robinson tensor. Roger Penrose has credited him as an important influence in the development of twistor theory, through his construction of the so-called Robinson congruences.

References

External links Ivor Robinson at the Mathematics Genealogy Project Christina Sormani; C. Denson Hill; Paweł Nurowski; Lydia Bieri; David Garfinkle; Nicolás Yunes (August 2017). "A two-part feature: The Mathematics of Gravitational waves" (PDF). Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 64 (7). American Mathematical Society: 684–707. doi:10.1090/noti1551. ISSN 1088-9477.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ivor Robinson (physicist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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 Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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 Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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 Ivor Robinson (physicist)

In research: Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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 Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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: Ivor Robinson (physicist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2016 deaths, 21st-century American Jews, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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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Frequently asked questions

What is Ivor Robinson (physicist) in simple terms?

Why does Ivor Robinson (physicist) 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.

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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?

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