science

Marsbook

Marsbook 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 Marsbook rather than just read about it. In short: "Marsbook" is a 1993 interactive CD-ROM commissioned by NASA and developed by Human Code. Summary Marsbook shows politicians their projections for the colonization of Mars.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

"Marsbook" is a 1993 interactive CD-ROM commissioned by NASA and developed by Human Code.

Summary Marsbook shows politicians their projections for the colonization of Mars. Based on SuperCard, it models NASA's proposed Mars habitat. The CD uses prerendered 3D graphics to allow users to virtually walk through a computer model of the habitat. Users can also walk through the IMH, retrieve information about different sections, browse the CAD database, and view Apple QuickTime-animated movies.

Awards "Marsbook" won two New Media Invision Awards, as well as an award from Business Week.

See also Red Faction (video game) (2001 Video game set on Mars)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marsbook

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marsbook 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 Marsbook 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 Marsbook 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 Marsbook

In research: Marsbook 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 Marsbook 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: Marsbook is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Colonization of Mars, Exploration of Mars, Space program of the United States stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marsbook 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 Marsbook in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Marsbook in simple terms?

"Marsbook" is a 1993 interactive CD-ROM commissioned by NASA and developed by Human Code. Summary Marsbook shows politicians their projections for the colonization of Mars.

Why does Marsbook 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 Marsbook?

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 Marsbook.