astronomy

Raymond Arvidson

Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson rather than just read about it. In short: Raymond E. Arvidson is the James S.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Raymond E. Arvidson is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He is best known for his contributions to NASA missions to Mars, including as deputy director of the Mars Exploration Rovers.

Education and career Born in Brooklyn, New York, Arvidson moved with his family at the age of five to the Williamstown section of Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, after his father's death and his mother's remarriage. Arvidson attended Williamstown High School, graduating in 1965. He earned a bachelor's degree in geology from Temple University in 1969, as well as his M.S. in 1971 and Ph.D. in 1975 from Brown University under the supervision of Thomas Mutch. He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. Arvidson became an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis in 1974 and received promotions to full professor in 1984 and to McDonnell Distinguished Professor in 1998. He has served as chair of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department in Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Arvidson "has been instrumental in developing and implementing both orbital and landed missions to the planets." He has received four NASA Public Service Medals and the Whipple Award of the American Geophysical Union. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union. Minor planet 397278 is named after Arvidson.

Teaching and mentoring Arvidson has received a number of teaching and advising awards, including Advisor of the Year, Student Union Professor of the Year, and the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Member Award from Washington University, as well as the Missouri Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He directed the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability at Washington University, which had many notable alumni.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Raymond Arvidson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson

In research: Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson 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: Raymond Arvidson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century American geologists, Brown University Graduate School alumni, Fellows of the American Geophysical Union, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Raymond Arvidson in simple terms?

Raymond E. Arvidson is the James S.

Why does Raymond Arvidson 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 Raymond Arvidson?

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 Raymond Arvidson.