physics

Kirthi Tennakone

Kirthi Tennakone is a physics 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 Kirthi Tennakone rather than just read about it. In short: Kirthi Tennakone is a Sri Lankan scientist with an assortment of research interests in theoretical and experimental physics, chemistry and biological systems. He has authored over 350 publications covering a diverse variety of disciplines.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Kirthi Tennakone is a Sri Lankan scientist with an assortment of research interests in theoretical and experimental physics, chemistry and biological systems. He has authored over 350 publications covering a diverse variety of disciplines. He is the former Director of Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka (now named as National Institute of Fundamental Studies) and the first Professor of Physics at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. He pursued studies leading to a doctoral degree in Theoretical Physics at the University of Hawaiʻi under supervision of Sandip Pakvasa. Pakvasa and Tennakone were the first to suggest that neutrinos may be massive and to consider the astrophysical implications. In condensed matter physics, Tennakone pioneered the studies on semiconducting properties copper(I) thiocyanate, a rare example of a transparent p-type semiconductor, currently adopted in many devices and developed techniques of its deposition as thin films. He was the first to introduce the concept of the dye-sensitized solid state solar cell and demonstrate a working prototype of the same. Sri Lanka Government recognized his contribution to research and education and awarded National Honors on two occasions. He was one of the Union of Concerned Scientists who signed to the document presented to world leaders in 1992 about environmental degradation that threatens global life support systems on this planet.

Early life

Born 1940 in a Village in Sri Lanka near the town of Veyangoda, he was exposed rural environment in early childhood. He is a son of the poet and writer Piyathilaka Tennakone of Metitotumulla, Sri Lanka who inspired him to science and mathematics at an early stage. Kirthi Tennakone received primary education at the Central College, Veyangoda, Sri Lanka.

Education He earned a B.S in physics and mathematics from the University of Ceylon 1964. After serving as a teacher in the Department of Education for period of four years, he received an East-West Center Fellowship to pursue studies at the University of Hawaiʻi and obtained a PhD degree in theoretical physics in 1972. He returned to Sri Lanka accepting an academic position at the University of Jayewardenepura and later appointed to the Chair of Physics at the University of Ruhuna. When the first endowed Chair in Sri Lanka (Sumanasekara Chair in Natural Science) was commissioned at the Institute of Fundamental Studies, he was appointed to this position by the President of Sri Lanka on basis of the recommendation of a high ranking search committee. Subsequently, he served as the director of this institution for a period of thirteen years, concurrently holding a professorship. He has held visiting research positions at the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste; Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen; Japan Society for Promotion of Science, Invitation Fellowship at the Shizuoka University, Japan; University of Cincinnati and currently an adjunct professor of physics at Georgia State University.

Recognition Kirthi Tennakone has been awarded National Honors of the Government of Sri Lanka on two occasions, "Vidya Nidhi" in 1986 and "Desha Bandu" in 2005. University of Sri Jayewardenepura of Sri Lanka conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree to him in 2007. He is a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, elected 1990. He was one of the invited scholars to visit Solar Cell Materials & Devices Group, Beijing, China.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kirthi Tennakone

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

In research: Kirthi Tennakone appears in physics 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 Kirthi Tennakone 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: Kirthi Tennakone is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1940 births, Deshabandu, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kirthi Tennakone 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 Kirthi Tennakone in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Kirthi Tennakone in simple terms?

Why does Kirthi Tennakone matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Kirthi Tennakone?

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 Kirthi Tennakone.