astronomy

Laurence E. Peterson

Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson rather than just read about it. In short: Laurence E. Peterson is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, California.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Laurence E. Peterson is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, California. He received his Ph.D. in 1960 from the University of Minnesota, under John R. Winckler. He was a pioneer in the field of X-ray astronomy. He led the high-energy astronomy group at UCSD for many years. In addition to carrying out numerous experiments using high-altitude balloons, he was principal investigator on several NASA satellite experiments, including one on the OSO 1, one on OSO 3, two on OSO 7, the A4 experiment on HEAO 1, and co-investigator on the High Energy X-Ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE) flown on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. His doctoral students include Allan S. Jacobson.

Major publications Instrumental Technique in X-Ray Astronomy. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 13, 423 (1975). doi:10.1146/annurev.aa.13.090175.002231 2-165 keV Observations of Active Galaxies and the Diffuse Background. With R.E. Rothschild, et al. Astrophys. J. 269, 423 (1982). A Scanning Modulation Collimator Observation of the High Energy X-Ray Source in the Crab Nebula. With R.M. Pelling et al. Astrophys. J. 319, 416 (1987). Observation of SN 1987A with the gamma-ray spectrometer HEXAGONE. With C.G.L. Chapuis, et al. Astrophys. J. 403, 332 (1993). doi:10.1086/172206 Compton-Backscattered Annihilation Radiation from the Galactic Center Region. With D.M. Smith et al. Astrophys. J, 414, 165 (1993). Bibcode:1993ApJ...414..165S

References

External links Laurence Peterson Papers MSS 73. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Laurence E. Peterson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson

In research: Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson 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: Laurence E. Peterson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American astronomer stubs, American astronomers, Living people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Laurence E. Peterson in simple terms?

Laurence E. Peterson is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, California.

Why does Laurence E. Peterson 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 Laurence E. Peterson?

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 Laurence E. Peterson.