physics

On the Shoulders of Giants (book)

On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) rather than just read about it. In short: On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy is a compilation of scientific texts edited and with commentary by the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. The book was published by Running Press in 2002.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy is a compilation of scientific texts edited and with commentary by the British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. The book was published by Running Press in 2002.

Content The book includes selections from the following works in English:

On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus, which explains Copernicus' theory of heliocentrism: that the Sun, rather than Earth, lies in the center of the universe Two New Sciences by Galileo Galilei explains Galileo's discoveries in physics Mystery of the Cosmos, Harmony of the World and Rudolphine Tables by Johannes Kepler, which describes Kepler's theories and observations in astronomy Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) by Sir Isaac Newton The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein The book also includes five critical essays by Hawking and Hawking's biographies of the five scientists whose works are included.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with On the Shoulders of Giants (book)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book)

In research: On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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: On the Shoulders of Giants (book) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2002 non-fiction books, Books by Stephen Hawking, Physics book stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is On the Shoulders of Giants (book) in simple terms?

Why does On the Shoulders of Giants (book) 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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book)?

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 On the Shoulders of Giants (book).