ArticleslgStudy

astronomy

J. Richard Fisher

J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher rather than just read about it. In short: James Richard Fisher (born December 10, 1943) is an American astronomer. He received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1972 from the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.S. in Physics in 1965 from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

James Richard Fisher (born December 10, 1943) is an American astronomer. He received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1972 from the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.S. in Physics in 1965 from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Education and research Much of Fisher's career has involved radio astronomy instrumentation, including telescope feed design, radio frequency interference mitigation, and signal processing. He joined NRAO in 1972 at the Green Bank, West Virginia site. He was part of the team that conceived and designed the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope there. He moved to the Central Development Lab at the Charlottesville NRAO headquarters in 2005, where he retired in 2012 but continues to be active in instrumentation projects. In 1978 through 1980 he spent 18 months at the Radiophysics Laboratory of CSIRO in Sydney, Australia, and on the return trip spent 2 months at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India. Along with R. Brent Tully, he proposed the Tully–Fisher relation, a correlation between the luminosity of a galaxy and the width of emission lines in its spectrum.

References

External links J. Richard Fisher's Homepage Archived 2020-11-29 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with J. Richard Fisher

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher

In research
J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher 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
J. Richard Fisher is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1943 births, 20th-century American astronomers, American astronomer stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for J. Richard Fisher 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 “J. Richard Fisher” →

Affiliate

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

How to study J. Richard Fisher in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is J. Richard Fisher in simple terms?

James Richard Fisher (born December 10, 1943) is an American astronomer. He received his Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1972 from the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.S. in Physics in 1965 from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Why does J. Richard Fisher 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 J. Richard Fisher?

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 J. Richard Fisher.

Tags

  • 1943 births
  • 20th-century American astronomers
  • American astronomer stubs
  • Living people
  • University of Maryland, College Park alumni

Keep exploring