chemistry

Otto Bastiansen

Otto Bastiansen is a chemistry 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 Otto Bastiansen rather than just read about it. In short: Otto Christian Astrup Bastiansen (5 September 1918 – 2 October 1995) was a Norwegian chemist and physical chemist. He was the son of priest Alf Bjørnskau Bastiansen and brother of jurist Peter Bastiansen.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Otto Christian Astrup Bastiansen (5 September 1918 – 2 October 1995) was a Norwegian chemist and physical chemist. He was the son of priest Alf Bjørnskau Bastiansen and brother of jurist Peter Bastiansen. He took the dr.philos. degree in 1949, and was hired as a lecturer at the University of Oslo in 1954. Already in 1955 he became professor of theoretical chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. He returned to the University of Oslo in 1962, and switched from theoretical chemistry to physical chemistry in 1964. From 1965 to 1969 he chaired the research council NAVF. He was then vice rector from 1970 to 1973 and rector from 1973 to 1976 at the University of Oslo. He was also a visiting scholar, both in the United States and at the University of Moscow. Otto Bastiansen was a member of the first anti-nuclear organization in Norway, together with John Engh, Johan Bernitz Hygen and Odd Hølaas, among others.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Otto Bastiansen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Otto Bastiansen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, 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 Otto Bastiansen 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 Otto Bastiansen 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 Otto Bastiansen

In research: Otto Bastiansen appears in chemistry 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 Otto Bastiansen 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: Otto Bastiansen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1918 births, 1995 deaths, 20th-century chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Otto Bastiansen 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 Otto Bastiansen in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Otto Bastiansen in simple terms?

Why does Otto Bastiansen matter?

Because it connects several chemistry 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 Otto Bastiansen?

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 Otto Bastiansen.