astronomy

Polar Record

Polar Record 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 Polar Record rather than just read about it. In short: Polar Record is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of Arctic and Antarctic exploration and research. It is managed by the Scott Polar Research Institute and published by Cambridge University Press.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Polar Record is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of Arctic and Antarctic exploration and research. It is managed by the Scott Polar Research Institute and published by Cambridge University Press. The journal was established in 1931 and the Co-editors-in-chief are Dr Nikolas Sellheim (University of Helsinki) and Dr Trevor McIntyre (University of South Africa).

Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexed in:

The journal had a 2019 impact factor of 0.84.

History

The journal was established in 1931, by The Scott Polar Research Institute which itself was founded in 1926. The foreword of the first issue in the first volume stated that the journal was created to address the challenge of "so much exploration and exploitation in the polar regions, the news of which appear in so many forms and languages", and that "in the first place an attempt will be made merely to record the chief polar events of the preceding six months; but it is hoped that the scope of the journal will gradually be expanded. The main body of The Polar Record, therefore, is a resume of polar news extracted from the best available sources.." The Committee of Management decided that the director of the Scott Polar Research Institute also be the editor. Therefore, the at-the-time director of the institute, Frank Debenham became the founding editor of the journal. From its inception in 1931 to 1953, each volume was triennial, with issues published every six months. Between years 1954 and 1987 the volumes became biennial, with three issues published every year starting in 1955. In 1988 each volume became annual, with quarterly publication of issues.

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Polar Record: Volume 1, first published in 1931 — Volume 1, first published in 1931

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Polar Record

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Polar Record 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 Polar Record 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 Polar Record 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 Polar Record

In research: Polar Record 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 Polar Record 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: Polar Record is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Academic journals established in 1931, Arctic research, Cambridge University Press academic journals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Polar Record 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 Polar Record in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Polar Record in simple terms?

Why does Polar Record 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 Polar Record?

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 Polar Record.