astronomy

Joan Robb

Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb rather than just read about it. In short: Joan Robb (c. 1921 – 19 October 2017) was a New Zealand herpetologist working in the Zoology Department at the University of Auckland as an associate professor. After retirement, she was a wildlife tour guide in New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Australia.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Joan Robb (c. 1921 – 19 October 2017) was a New Zealand herpetologist working in the Zoology Department at the University of Auckland as an associate professor. After retirement, she was a wildlife tour guide in New Zealand and the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Australia.

Academic career Robb grew up in Gisborne, and was educated at home through the Correspondence School. After a Diploma in Agriculture from Massey Agricultural College, she studied at the University of Auckland, graduating with an MSc in zoology in 1956. Robb then worked in the Department of Zoology at the University of Auckland, becoming an associate professor in 1967. She taught vertebrate form and function. She retired in 1978, after which she became a tour guide for wildlife tours to Malaysia, Nepal, China, Australia, and Africa. Robb held positions on the Fauna Protection Advisory Council (an advisory group to the Department of Internal Affairs, who were then responsible for conservation) and the Council of the Auckland Museum. Robb's research focused on herpetology, particularly New Zealand lizards, and she named five new taxa of skink and gecko. Her 1980 book describing New Zealand amphibians and reptiles was considered to be "academic in quality, but popular in tone". In 2017, Robb was named as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words. Robb died in Auckland on 19 October 2017.

Taxa named by Robb Gold-striped gecko Macgregor's skink Oligosoma pachysomaticum Robust skink Stephen's Island gecko

Selected works J. Robb (1966). "The generic status of the Australasian typhlopids (Reptilia: Squamata)". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 9 (106–108): 675–679. doi:10.1080/00222936608651678. ISSN 0374-5481. Wikidata Q99849286. J Robb (1966). "The structure and possible function of the cloacal pouches of male Australian Typhlopids". Australian Journal of Zoology. 14 (1): 27. doi:10.1071/zo9660027. ISSN 0004-959X. Wikidata Q99975772. Robb, Joan; Tubott, Evan Graham (1971). "Tu'i Malila, "Cook's Tortoise"". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 8: 229–233. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906170. Wikidata Q58676901. Joan Robb (1975). "Two new skinks of the genus Leiolopisma from New Zealand". Proceedings of the section of sciences. 78: 477–484. Wikidata Q104525474. Joan Robb (1977), The Tuatara, Shildon, OCLC 3994967, Wikidata Q104525455{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Robb, Joan (1980), New Zealand Amphibians and Reptiles in Colour, OCLC 7204055, Wikidata Q104524916 Joan Robb (1980). "Three new species of gekkonid lizards, genera Hoplodactylus Fitzinger and Heteropholis Fischer, from New Zealand". National Museum of New Zealand Records. 1 (19): 305–310. ISSN 0110-943X. Wikidata Q104525406.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Joan Robb

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb

In research: Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb 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: Joan Robb is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1921 births, 2017 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Auckland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Joan Robb 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.
Explain Joan Robb out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Joan Robb in simple terms?

Why does Joan Robb 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 Joan Robb?

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 Joan Robb.