astronomy

Lodewijk Woltjer

Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer rather than just read about it. In short: Lodewijk Woltjer (26 April 1930 – 25 August 2019) was an astronomer, and the son of astronomer Jan Woltjer. He studied at the University of Leiden under Jan Oort earning a PhD in astronomy in 1957 with a thesis on the Crab Nebula.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Lodewijk Woltjer (26 April 1930 – 25 August 2019) was an astronomer, and the son of astronomer Jan Woltjer. He studied at the University of Leiden under Jan Oort earning a PhD in astronomy in 1957 with a thesis on the Crab Nebula. This was followed by post-doctoral research appointments to various American universities and the subsequent appointment of professor of theoretical astrophysics and plasma physics in the University of Leiden. From 1964 to 1974 he was Rutherford Professor of Astronomy and Chair of the Astronomy Department at Columbia University in New York. From 1975 to 1987 he was Director General of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), where he initiated the construction of the Very Large Telescope. In 1994–1997 he was President of the International Astronomical Union. Woltjer was honored in 1987 with the Karl Schwarzschild Medal. He was the first Editor-in-Chief of The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, inaugurated in 1989; and also the Editor of the Astronomical Journal in 1967 to 1974. Dr. Woltjer has been honored by membership in a number of European Academies of Sciences, including Belgian, British, Dutch, French, and Swedish.

Notes

References Grewing, M. (1987). "Karl-Schwarzschild-Vorlesung 1987: Lodewijk Woltjer". MitAG. 70: 19. Bibcode:1987MitAG..70...19G. ISSN 0374-1958. Léna, P. (December 1992), "Professor Lodewijk Woltjer elected to the French Academy of Sciences" (PDF), The Messenger, 70, ESO: 27, Bibcode:1992Msngr..70...27L, retrieved 2011-01-22

External links Lodewijk Woltjer at the Mathematics Genealogy Project "Leidse hoogleraren - Woltjer, Lodewijk". hoogleraren.universiteitleiden.nl. Retrieved 6 March 2020. Courvoisier, Thierry. "Lodewijk Woltjer (26 April 1930 - 25 August 2019)". Retrieved 6 March 2020.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lodewijk Woltjer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer

In research: Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer 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: Lodewijk Woltjer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1930 births, 2019 deaths, 20th-century Dutch astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Lodewijk Woltjer in simple terms?

Why does Lodewijk Woltjer 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 Lodewijk Woltjer?

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 Lodewijk Woltjer.