science

Pierre de Latil

Pierre de Latil 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 Pierre de Latil rather than just read about it. In short: Pierre de Latil (1903–2001) was a French science journalist known for his popular science works, but also as an author of youth literature. He died in 2001.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Pierre de Latil (1903–2001) was a French science journalist known for his popular science works, but also as an author of youth literature. He died in 2001. In 1953 he authored of one of the first introductory works on cybernetics. He co-authored several essays with Jacques Bergier. He was a scientific columnist at Le Figaro and president of the AJSPI (Association des journalistes scientifiques de la presse d’information - the Association of Science Journalists of the News Press) in 1968.

Works de Latil, Pierre (translated by Y.M. Golla) (1957). Thinking by Machine: A Study of Cybernetics. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. Original:Pierre de Latil (1953). La Pensée artificielle. Paris: Gallimard.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pierre de Latil

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pierre de Latil 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 Pierre de Latil 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 de Latil 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 de Latil

In research: Pierre de Latil 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 Pierre de Latil 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 de Latil is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1903 births, Cyberneticists, French journalists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pierre de Latil 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 de Latil in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Pierre de Latil in simple terms?

Pierre de Latil (1903–2001) was a French science journalist known for his popular science works, but also as an author of youth literature. He died in 2001.

Why does Pierre de Latil 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 Pierre de Latil?

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 de Latil.