astronomy

John A. Dillon

John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon rather than just read about it. In short: John Andrew Dillon Jr. (1923 – February 22, 2005) was an American physicist, administrator, professor at the University of Louisville, and founder and first director of the Systems Science Institute at the University of Louisville.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Andrew Dillon Jr. (1923 – February 22, 2005) was an American physicist, administrator, professor at the University of Louisville, and founder and first director of the Systems Science Institute at the University of Louisville.

Biography John Dillon served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during the course of the war, where he worked on the development of Radar systems and guided missiles. After the war, Dillon returned to his education, receiving a BS in physics at Fordham University and an MS and Ph.D. in 1954 from Brown University. In 1954 Dillon joined the faculty at Brown University, where in 1963 he got promoted to full professor and chair of the Brown Physics Department. In 1966 he went to the University of Louisville as dean of the graduate school, where he taught physics until he retired in 1986. He also was dean of graduate studies until 1990 at Spalding University, where he had previously been provost. In 1986, he was awarded the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor and became an associate in the department of community health of the school of medicine. From 1972 until 1978 Dillon was vice president of academic affairs at the University of Louisville. In 1979, Dillon established the interdisciplinary Systems Science Institute, and became university coordinator for energy and environmental affairs, In 1956 Dillon was among the first scientists to join the Society for General Systems Research, now International Society for the Systems Sciences, where in 1985 he served as president.

Publications Books 1949. The Electrolytic Polishing of Silver Single Crystals. Brown University. 1954. Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide on Nickel Single Crystal Surfaces. Brown University. 1981. Paradigms in changing times : proceedings of the Tenth Annual Conference of the Southeastern Region, April 21–23, 1981. Edited by Rammohan K. Ragade, John A. Dillon Jr.; sponsored by Systems Science Institute, University of Louisville. 1982. Energetics and Systems. Edited with W.J. Mitsch, R.K. Ragade and R.W. Bosserman. Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Ann Arbor. 1982. Foundations of general systems theory. Intersystems Publications. Articles

1972. "Research and the Universities". With James W. McGrath and Dale C. Ray. In: The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 43, No. 4 (April 1972), pp. 257–266 1980. "The Evolution of the American Urban University". In: Urban Education, Vol. 15, No. 1, 33–48 (1980)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John A. Dillon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon

In research: John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon 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: John A. Dillon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2005 deaths, 20th-century American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John A. Dillon in simple terms?

Why does John A. Dillon 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 John A. Dillon?

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 John A. Dillon.