physics

Mark Diesendorf

Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf rather than just read about it. In short: Mark Diesendorf is an Australian academic and environmentalist, known for his work in sustainable development and renewable energy. He currently researches at the University of New South Wales.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Mark Diesendorf is an Australian academic and environmentalist, known for his work in sustainable development and renewable energy. He currently researches at the University of New South Wales. He was formerly professor of environmental science and founding director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney and before that a principal research scientist with CSIRO, where he was involved in early research on integrating wind power into electricity grids. His most recent books are The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation (2023) and Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change (2014).

Biography Diesendorf is the son of the engineer Walter Diesendorf and the poet Margaret Diesendorf. His PhD research was focused on applied mathematics and theoretical physics applied to the solar interior. His early postdoctoral research was diverse, including the analysis of ground and satellite data on VLF emissions, mechanisms of insect olfaction and vision, and biological catalysts. From 1975 to 1985, he worked in the CSIRO Division of Mathematics & Statistics, the Australian national research organisation, on topics such as the integration of wind power into electricity grids. He became a principal research scientist and leader of the Applied Mathematics group in CSIRO. He left CSIRO in 1985 after the organisation had terminated all research on renewable energy. From 1996 to 2001, he was Professor of Environmental Science and Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at University of Technology Sydney and then director of a company Sustainability Centre Pty Ltd. From 2004 to 2016, Diesendorf was a Senior Lecturer and then Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of NSW. In 2015, IES was abolished by the university and Diesendorf retired (nominally) in mid-2016 to become Honorary Associate Professor at UNSW. He continues to teach (as a guest lecturer), research and consult in the interdisciplinary fields of sustainable energy, sustainable urban transport, theory of sustainability, ecological economics, and practical processes by which government, business and other organisations can achieve ecologically sustainable and socially just development. Based on his belief that science, technology and economics should serve the community at large, Dr Diesendorf has been at various times the Secretary of the Society for Social Responsibility in Science (Australian Capital Territory), President of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics, co-founder and Vice-President of the Sustainable Energy Industries Council of Australia, and co-founder and President of the original Australasian Wind Energy Association. Much of his recent research is on environmental justice. Before that, he researched climate mitigation, especially transitioning electricity supply systems to 100% renewable energy. To this end he was involved with colleagues in the Centre for Energy & Environmental Markets at UNSW in scenario development, computer simulation modelling and energy policy. Previously Dr Diesendorf was one of the leading proponents calling for the ethical, scientific debate over public water fluoridation. On this issue Diesendorf has authored several papers, including a major 1986 article entitled "The mystery of declining tooth decay" in the journal Nature, examining the need for a scientific re-evaluation of fluoridation, and has highlighted some of the contrary evidence.

Publications

Books Diesendorf M & Taylor R 2023. The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation: Technological, socioeconomic and political change. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. ISBN 978-981-99-0662-8. Diesendorf M 2014. Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change. Routledge-Earthscan and UNSW Press. ISBN 9781742233901. 356+xx pp. Diesendorf M 2009. Climate Action: A campaign manual for greenhouse solutions, UNSW Press, Sydney. ISBN 978 1 74223 018 4. 242+xiv pp. Diesendorf M 2007. Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy, UNSW Press, Sydney, ISBN/0868409731. Diesendorf M, Hamilton C (eds) 1997. Human Ecology, Human Economy: Ideas for an Ecologically Sustainable Future, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 378 pp. ISBN 1 86448 288 5. 378+xvi pp. Diesendorf M (ed.) 1979. Energy and People-- social implications of different energy futures. Canberra: Society for Social Responsibility in Science.180 pp, ISBN 0 909509 14 X and 0 909509 12 5. Diesendorf M, Furnass B (eds) 1977. The Impact of Environment and Lifestyle on Human Health. Canberra: Society for Social Responsibility in Science. 180 pp, ISBN 0 909509 10 7. Diesendorf M (ed.) 1976. The Magic Bullet -- social implications and limitations of modern medicine -- an environmental approach. Canberra: Society for Social Responsibility in Science. viii+153pp, ISBN 0 909509 09 3.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mark Diesendorf

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf

In research: Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf 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: Mark Diesendorf is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers, 21st-century Australian non-fiction writers, Academic staff of the University of New South Wales, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Mark Diesendorf in simple terms?

Mark Diesendorf is an Australian academic and environmentalist, known for his work in sustainable development and renewable energy. He currently researches at the University of New South Wales.

Why does Mark Diesendorf 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 Mark Diesendorf?

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 Mark Diesendorf.