astronomy

Nikolai Yefimov

Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov rather than just read about it. In short: Nikolai Vladimirovich Yefimov (Russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ефи́мов; 31 May 1910 in Orenburg – 14 August 1982 in Moscow) was a Soviet mathematician. He is most famous for his work on generalized Hilbert's problem on surfaces of negative curvature.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Nikolai Vladimirovich Yefimov (Russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ефи́мов; 31 May 1910 in Orenburg – 14 August 1982 in Moscow) was a Soviet mathematician. He is most famous for his work on generalized Hilbert's problem on surfaces of negative curvature. Yefimov grew up in Rostov-on-Don and graduated from Rostov State University, where he studied with Morduhai-Boltovskoi. He worked at Voronezh State University from 1934 to 1941. He taught at the Moscow State University since 1946. Aleksei Pogorelov was one of his students there. He received the Lobachevsky Prize in 1951 and Lenin Prize in 1966. He was an invited plenary speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Moscow, 1966. He became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in 1979.

References A. D. Aleksandrov, S. P. Novikov, A. V. Pogorelov, È. G. Poznyak, P. K. Rashevskiǐ, È. R. Rozendorn, I. Kh. Sabitov, S. B. Stechkin, "Obituary: Nikolai Vladimirovich Yefimov" (in Russian), Uspekhi Mat. Nauk 38:5 (1983), 111–117.

External links Nikolai Yefimov at the Mathematics Genealogy Project A Brief Course in Analytic Geometry, downloadable from Internet Archive

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nikolai Yefimov

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov

In research: Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov 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: Nikolai Yefimov is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1910 births, 1982 deaths, 20th-century Russian mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Nikolai Yefimov in simple terms?

Why does Nikolai Yefimov 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 Nikolai Yefimov?

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 Nikolai Yefimov.