astronomy

Mark W. Spong

Mark W. Spong 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 Mark W. Spong rather than just read about it. In short: Mark W. Spong (born November 5, 1952, in Warren, Ohio) is an American roboticist.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Mark W. Spong (born November 5, 1952, in Warren, Ohio) is an American roboticist. He is a professor of systems engineering and electrical and computer engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). He served as dean of the Jonsson School and the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair in Electrical Engineering from 2008 to 2017. Before he joined UTD, he was the Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering, professor of electrical engineering, research professor of Coordinated Science Laboratory and Information Trust Institute, and director of Center for Autonomous Engineering Systems and Robotics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Spong is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including

the 2025 IFAC TC on Robotics Lifetime Achievement Award the 2020 Rufus Oldenburger Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers the 2018 Bode Lecture Prize from the IEEE Control Systems Society the 2016 Nyquist Lecture Prize from the Dynamical Systems and Control Division of the ASME the 2007 IROS Fumio Harashima Award for Innovative Technologies the O. Hugo Schuck Award in 2002 and 2009 from the American Automatic Control Council the 2004 John R. Ragazzini Award from the American Automatic Control Council the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. Spong received his B.A. in mathematics and physics from Hiram College in 1975, a M.S. in mathematics from New Mexico State University in 1977, and a M.S. and D.Sc. in systems science and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979 and 1981, respectively.

Books Source:

1989. Robot Dynamics and Control. with M. Vidyasagar 1993. Robot Control : Dynamics, Motion Planning, and Analysis with F.L. Lewis and C.T. Abdallah (ed.) 2006. Robot Modeling and Control. with S. Hutchinson and M. Vidyasagar 2007. The Reaction Wheel Pendulum, with D. J. Block and K. J. Astrom 2015. Passivity-Based Control in Networked Robotics, with Takeshi Hatanaka, Nikhil Chopra, and Masayuki Fujita 2022. Robot Modeling and Control, Second Edition, with S. Hutchinson and M. Vidyasagar 2024. Introduction to Modeling and Simulation: A Systems Approach 2025. A First Course in Complex Networks

References

External links Home page

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mark W. Spong

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mark W. Spong 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 Mark W. Spong 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 W. Spong 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 W. Spong

In research: Mark W. Spong 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 Mark W. Spong 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 W. Spong is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1952 births, American roboticists, Control theorists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mark W. Spong 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 W. Spong in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Mark W. Spong in simple terms?

Mark W. Spong (born November 5, 1952, in Warren, Ohio) is an American roboticist.

Why does Mark W. Spong 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 Mark W. Spong?

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 W. Spong.