science

Principle of coordination

Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination rather than just read about it. In short: In zoology, the principle of coordination is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. It states that the act of publishing a new zoological name thereby automatically and simultaneously establishes all the corresponding names in the relevant other ranks, with the same type.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

In zoology, the principle of coordination is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. It states that the act of publishing a new zoological name thereby automatically and simultaneously establishes all the corresponding names in the relevant other ranks, with the same type. In the species-group, publishing the species name (the binomen) Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758 also establishes the subspecies name (the trinomen) Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758. The same applies to the name of a subspecies; this establishes the corresponding species name. In the genus-group, similarly, publishing the name of a genus also establishes the corresponding name of a subgenus (or vice versa): Giraffa Linnaeus, 1758 and Giraffa (Giraffa) Linnaeus, 1758. (Here, Giraffa is the subgenus of genus Giraffa.) In the family-group, publication of the name of a family, subfamily, superfamily (or any other such rank) also establishes the names in all the other ranks in the family group. Author citations for such names are the same as for the name actually published. It is immaterial if there is an actual taxon to which the automatically established name applies; if ever such a taxon is recognised, there is a name available for it.

See also Autonym (botany) – a similar concept in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants differs in that names are established at the same rank

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Principle of coordination

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination

In research: Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination 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: Principle of coordination is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Zoological nomenclature, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Principle of coordination in simple terms?

Why does Principle of coordination 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 Principle of coordination?

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 Principle of coordination.