astronomy

Pierre Margot

Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot rather than just read about it. In short: Pierre Margot is a Swiss forensics scientist known for his contribution to the invention of the first forensic light source Polilight for the detection of fingerprint, biological fluids and other evidence on the crime scene. This new technology was named by the Powerhouse Museum as one of the top 100 Australian innovations of the 20th century.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Pierre Margot is a Swiss forensics scientist known for his contribution to the invention of the first forensic light source Polilight for the detection of fingerprint, biological fluids and other evidence on the crime scene. This new technology was named by the Powerhouse Museum as one of the top 100 Australian innovations of the 20th century. It was a great revolution in the field of forensic identification since this light could be used at the crime scene, unlike lasers at that time.

Biography Pierre Margot was born in Delémont (Switzerland) on 25 February 1950. He obtained his degree in forensic science and criminology at the University of Lausanne in 1974. He then obtained his master's degree (1977) and PhD (1980) in forensic science at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. He then continued his post-doctoral studies in toxicology in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1986, he became the fourth director of the Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology (IPSC) of the University of Lausanne; he held this position until 2016. During his career, he has contributed to numerous articles in forensic journals, written many books and book chapters, and has also given several lectures worldwide.

Work Because of his expertise in forensics, Pierre Margot has worked on several international issues. In 1972, in Northern Ireland, he participated in the investigation of Bloody Sunday with Doug Lucas and Peter Forest. He then continued his international involvement in 1985, during his participation in the investigation of the Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior. In 1989, while working at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, he participated (with Ron Warrener, Hilton Kobus, Milutin Stoilovic and Chris Lennard) to the invention of the Polilight. He participated, among other during his career, to the investigation of the massacres of the Order of the Solar Temple (1994–1997) in Canada and in Suisse, as well as on the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland (1998, with Doug Lucas and Peter Forest).

Distinctions 2004: Merentibus Award – Krakov (Poland) – higher distinction awarded by the Institute of Forensic Research 2010: Recognition Award – Rofin Forensic (Australia) – for the development of the Polilight 2011: Douglas M. Lucas Award – American Academy of Forensic Sciences 2013: Doctorate honoris causa of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières 2014: John A. Dondero Memorial Award of the International Association for Identification 2014: Nominated to the French Forensic Science Hall of Fame of the Association Québécoise de Criminalistique

Scientific groups Switzerland representative and member of the International Association for Identification Member of the Swiss Chamber of technical legal experts and scientists Honorary member of the Forensic Science Society (UK) Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Member of the Association québécoise de criminalistique (Canada) Member of the Jura Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts

Books Kuhn A., Schwarzenegger C., Margot P., Donatsch A., Aebi M.F., Jositsch D. (eds.), Criminology, Criminal Policy and Criminal Law in an International Perspective: essays in honour of Martin Killias on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Stämpfli, Bern, 2013. Champod C, Lennard C, Margot P, Stoilovic M, Fingerprints and Other Ridge Skin Impressions. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pierre Margot

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot

In research: Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot 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: Pierre Margot is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950 births, 20th-century Swiss scientists, Academic staff of the University of Lausanne, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Pierre Margot in simple terms?

Why does Pierre Margot 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 Pierre Margot?

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 Pierre Margot.