astronomy

John Bainbridge (astronomer)

John Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer) rather than just read about it. In short: John Bainbridge (1582 – 3 November 1643) was an English astronomer and mathematician. Life Bainbridge was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire to Robert and Anne (née Everard) Bainbridge.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Bainbridge (1582 – 3 November 1643) was an English astronomer and mathematician.

Life Bainbridge was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire to Robert and Anne (née Everard) Bainbridge. He attended the Free Grammar School in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and then became a student at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He returned to Ashby where he practiced as a physician for some years, kept a school and studied astronomy. Having been removed to London, he was admitted (6 November 1618) a licentiate of the college of physicians, and was noticed due to a publication concerning the comet of 1618. In 1618, he became a member of the Puritan group of scholars known as the Gresham Circle. In 1619, Sir Henry Savile (Bible translator) (1549–1622) elected him as the first Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University. Bainbridge was incorporated of Merton College and became, in 1631 and 1635 respectively, junior and senior reader of Linacre's lectures. Bainbridge was a puritan. He died at Oxford on 3 November 1643. He was a friend of Christopher Heydon, the writer on astrology; and also of John Greaves, his successor to both the Savilian chair and Linacre's lectures.

Works He wrote An Astronomical Description of the late Comet (1619); Canicularia (1648); and translated Proclus' De Sphaera, and Ptolemy's De Planetarum Hypothesibus (1620). Several manuscript works by him exist in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin.

References

Andrew Pyle (editor), Dictionary of Seventeenth Century British Philosophers (2000), article pp. 52–4.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Bainbridge (astronomer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer)

In research: John Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1582 births, 1643 deaths, 17th-century English astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 “John Bainbridge (astronomer)” →

Affiliate

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

How to study John Bainbridge (astronomer) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John Bainbridge (astronomer) in simple terms?

John Bainbridge (1582 – 3 November 1643) was an English astronomer and mathematician. Life Bainbridge was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire to Robert and Anne (née Everard) Bainbridge.

Why does John Bainbridge (astronomer) 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 Bainbridge (astronomer)?

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 Bainbridge (astronomer).