astronomy

John Adams (geographer)

John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) rather than just read about it. In short: John Adams (13 August 1938 – 2024) of University College London, was an emeritus professor of geography and theorist on risk compensation. His book Risk is an analysis of how humans assess and respond to perceived risks.

Key takeaways

John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Adams (geographer) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Adams (13 August 1938 – 2024) of University College London, was an emeritus professor of geography and theorist on risk compensation. His book Risk is an analysis of how humans assess and respond to perceived risks. Adams died in 2024.

Areas of interest

Risk compensation Adams is known for a theory of risk compensation, that states that a 'risk thermostat' guides much human behavior. Humans experiencing a 'safe' lifestyle seek out risky activities; but when doing them, overcompensate before returning to safety. This behaviour operates like a thermostat, regulating human behavior. He argues that because of the thermostat effect, banning risky activity will not work completely, and risk-seeking accompanies many aspects of everyday life. He spoke on this at the Shared Space conference held in Ipswich in June, 2005, where in his talk titled "Risk Compensation versus the obedient automaton theory of human behaviour" he discussed how understanding risk compensation was essential to the understanding of why shared space principles work for the design of public spaces such as road layouts in towns.

Hypermobility He has also coined the term and written extensively on the phenomenon of hypermobility, particularly the misplaced belief that new road building solves traffic problems, rather than worsening them.

Climate change Adams has not always voiced mainstream views on climate change. He has been critical of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and has praised 'reputable scientists who react sceptically to the "hockey stick" peddled by Sir John Houghton and the IPCC.'

Other Adams was a member of the advisory committee to the Anti-Concorde Project. When working in central London he was a daily cyclist, occasionally writing on cycling issues.

Bibliography Transport Planning, Vision and Practice, 1981. ISBN 0-7100-0844-9 Risk and Freedom, The Record of Road Safety Regulation Transport Publishing Projects, 1985. ISBN 0-948537-05-1 One False Move… A Study of Children’s Independent Mobility. (With M. Hillman and J.Whitelegg), Policy Studies Institute. Risk, UCL Press, 1995. ISBN 1-85728-068-7 Cities at Risk: Living with Perils in the 21st Century (Joffe, Rossetto and Adams eds.). Springer, 2013.

References

External links Official website John Adams at UCL Department of Geography Blog contributions by Adams at the Social Affairs Unit

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Adams (geographer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer)

In research: John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1938 births, 2024 deaths, 21st-century British geographers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John Adams (geographer) in simple terms?

Why does John Adams (geographer) 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 Adams (geographer)?

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 Adams (geographer).