science

Raven

Raven 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 Raven rather than just read about it. In short: A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus Corvus. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus Corvus. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigned to different species mainly by size. The largest species are the common raven and the thick-billed raven; these are also the largest passerine species.

Behavior and intelligence Ravens are highly intelligent birds known for problem solving and social behavior. Some species can mimic sounds, including human speech. Ravens and other corvids have also been shown to recognize and remember individual human faces and respond differently based on past interactions.

Etymology The term raven originally referred to the common raven (Corvus corax), the widespread species of the Northern Hemisphere. The modern English word raven has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse (and subsequently modern Icelandic) hrafn and Old High German (h)Raban, both of which descend from Proto-Germanic *hrabanaz. Collective nouns for a group of ravens include a "conspiracy", a "treachery", a "rave" and an "unkindness". In practice, most people use the more generic "flock".

Extant species

Corvus albicollis – White-necked raven (East and Southern Africa) Corvus corax – Common raven (Northern Hemisphere) Corvus coronoides – Australian raven (Australia) Corvus crassirostris – Thick-billed raven (Horn of Africa) Corvus cryptoleucus – Chihuahuan raven (United States and Mexico) Corvus edithae – Dwarf raven (Horn of Africa) Corvus mellori – Little raven (southeastern Australia) Corvus rhipidurus – Fan-tailed raven (East Africa and Arabian Peninsula) Corvus ruficollis – Brown-necked raven (North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, greater Middle East) Corvus tasmanicus – Forest raven (Tasmania, southern Victoria and northeastern New South Wales in Australia)

Extinct species and color morphs †Corvus moriorum – New Zealand raven †Corvus corax varius morpha leucophaeus – Pied raven (an extinct color morph of the North Atlantic subspecies of the common raven)

Gallery

See also Cultural depictions of ravens Ravens of the Tower of London

References

External links

Raven videos on the Internet Bird Collection North American ravens on eNature

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Raven

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Raven 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 Raven 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 Raven 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 Raven

In research: Raven 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 Raven 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: Raven is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird common names, Ravens, Set index articles on animal common names, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Raven 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Raven in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Raven in simple terms?

A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus Corvus. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus.

Why does Raven 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 Raven?

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 Raven.