science

Laurel Gand

Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand rather than just read about it. In short: Laurel Gand is a superheroine appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries under the name Andromeda. She was created as a replacement for Supergirl, who was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Laurel Gand is a superheroine appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries under the name Andromeda. She was created as a replacement for Supergirl, who was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths. She was also inspired by elements of Superman's supposed descendant Laurel Kent, who is later revealed to be a Manhunter.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Zero Hour

Laurel Gand, also known as Andromeda, takes the place of Supergirl in the new timeline created by Glorith, in which aspects of the Legion of Super-Heroes' history was altered. In the new timeline, Gand participated in key events that Supergirl was originally present for. Laurel Gand is a Daxamite who was born on Ricklef II, an asteroid near Daxam which her mother worked on. Ricklef housed a city and research station. When Gand was a child, Khund forces attacked Ricklef, threatening to invade Daxam. After the Khunds killed her parents, Gand managed to fend them off using her knowledge of the base. Some time later, Gand was forced to live in exile on Earth after being informed that the Science Police would not be able to protect her from the Khunds. After arriving on Earth, Gand is approached by Saturn Girl, Triad, and Phantom Girl, who invite her to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. As part of her initiation into the group, Gand tasks herself with gathering historical artifacts for the Legion. While excavating the artifacts, Gand is exposed to lead and contracts lead poisoning, which is fatal to Daxamites. Brainiac 5 realizes that Gand had been taking an anti-lead serum which would have protected her, but she built up an immunity to it over time. Brainiac 5 heals Gand by modifying the serum, revitalizing its effects. Gand goes on to marry Rond Vidar, with whom she has a daughter named Lauren. Gand spends years away from the Legion battling Khund forces and defending the United Planets. She rejoins the Legion after Rond Vidar disappears while trying to rescue the White Witch from Mordru. A few years later, "Batch SW6", a group consisting of temporal clones of the Legionnaires, escapes from the Dominators' captivity. The SW6 version of Laurel Gand becomes known as Andromeda, distinguishing her from her mainline counterpart. The original version of Laurel Gand stays with her Legion after the group is forced to go underground to fight corruption in the Science Police. Gand dies after being injured during one of the renegade Legion's early missions. Shortly thereafter, Gand and the rest of the Legion are erased from history, following the Zero Hour reboot.

Post-Zero Hour

In post-Zero Hour continuity, Laurel Gand was originally a member of the xenophobic White Triangle group before joining the Legion. Due to Daxamites' vulnerability to lead, she is forced to wear a special suit to protect her from it. Gand is nearly killed by lead poisoning after her suit is damaged, prompting Brainiac 5 to create an anti-lead serum for her. Around this time, Shrinking Violet discovers a White Triangle necklace in Gand's room and deduces that she is connected to the group. Andromeda confronts Daxamite ambassador Roxxas, with both being presumed dead in the ensuing fight after being caught in an explosion. Cosmic Boy is secretly informed that Andromeda survived and voluntarily exiled herself to Planet Hell. After the events of Infinite Crisis, Earth-247, the home of the post-Zero Hour Legion, is destroyed. Andromeda appears in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, where she is among the Legionnaires who battle Superboy-Prime. Andromeda's pre-Zero Hour counterpart is among the Legionnaires from alternate realities who are summoned to battle the Time Trapper.

Powers and abilities Generally, the abilities of Laurel Gand and other Daxamites are identical to those of Superman and other natives of the planet Krypton (super-strength; speed; flight; X-ray, heat, microscopic or telescopic vision powers; invulnerability and super hearing). However, she is vulnerable to lead rather than kryptonite.

In other media Laurel Gand as Andromeda makes a cameo appearance in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids In Town". Laurel Gand as Andromeda appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. Laurel Gand as Andromeda appears in Justice League Adventures #28.

See also Alternative versions of Supergirl

External links A Hero History Of Andromeda/Laurel Kent

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Laurel Gand

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand

In research: Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand 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: Laurel Gand is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Characters created by Keith Giffen, Comics characters introduced in 1990, DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Laurel Gand in simple terms?

Why does Laurel Gand 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 Laurel Gand?

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 Laurel Gand.