science

John Senex

John Senex is a science 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 Senex rather than just read about it. In short: John Senex (1678–1740) was an English cartographer, engraver and explorer. He was also an astrologer, geologist, and geographer to Queen Anne of Great Britain, editor and seller of antique maps and most importantly creator of the pocket-size map of the world.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Senex (1678–1740) was an English cartographer, engraver and explorer. He was also an astrologer, geologist, and geographer to Queen Anne of Great Britain, editor and seller of antique maps and most importantly creator of the pocket-size map of the world. He owned a business on Fleet Street in London, where he sold maps. He was born in Ludlow, Shropshire and died in London.

Importance He was one of the principal cartographers of the 18th century. He started his apprenticeship with Robert Clavell, at the Stationers Company, in 1692. Senex is famous for his maps of the world, some of which have added elevations, and which feature minuscule detailed engravings. Many of these maps can be found in museum collections; rarely, copies are available for private sale. Some copies are held in the National Maritime Museum; many of his maps are now in the possession of Trinity College Dublin. Having worked and collaborated with Charles Price, Senex created a series of engravings for the London Almanacs, and in 1714 he published together with Maxwell an English Atlas. In 1719 he published a miniature edition of Britannia by John Ogilby. He became particularly interested in depicting California as an island instead of part of mainland North America, a trait which makes many of his maps appealing to collectors. In 1721 he published a new general atlas. He used the work of cartographer Guillaume de L’Isle as an influence. In the 1720s he produced a series of celestial charts in conjunction with Edmond Halley, using Halley's pirated edition of John Flamsteed's star catalogue. In 1728 Senex was elected into the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London.

Gallery

See also List of cartographers History of cartography Willem Blaeu Joan Blaeu

References

Footnotes

Bibliography Worms, Laurence. "Senex, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25085. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)

External links

Works at Open Library

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Senex

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Senex claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Senex 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 Senex 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 Senex

In research: John Senex appears in science 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 Senex 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 Senex is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1678 births, 1740 deaths, 18th-century English cartographers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Senex 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 Senex in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John Senex in simple terms?

Why does John Senex matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Senex?

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 Senex.