biology

Richard Assmann

Richard Assmann is a biology 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 Richard Assmann rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Assmann (Anglicized spelling of the German name Richard Aßmann) (13 April 1845 in Magdeburg – 28 May 1918 in Gießen) was a German meteorologist and physician who was a native of Magdeburg. He made numerous contributions in high altitude research of the Earth's atmosphere.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard Assmann (Anglicized spelling of the German name Richard Aßmann) (13 April 1845 in Magdeburg – 28 May 1918 in Gießen) was a German meteorologist and physician who was a native of Magdeburg. He made numerous contributions in high altitude research of the Earth's atmosphere. He was a pioneer of scientific aeronautics and considered a co-founder of aerology. In 1868 he received his medical doctorate in Berlin, and from 1870 to 1879 was a general practitioner in Bad Freienwalde. In 1879 he returned to Magdeburg to practice medicine. In 1885 he earned a doctorate in secondary studies at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Halle, and subsequently became a scientific officer at the Royal Meteorological Institute at Berlin-Grünau. From 1905 to 1914 Assmann was director of the Prussian Royal Aeronautical Observatory at Lindenberg, and afterwards was an honorary professor at the University of Giessen. From 1887 to 1892, with airship designer Rudolf Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld (1861–1902), he developed a psychrometer for accurate measurement of atmospheric humidity and temperature. This was the first instrument that was able to provide reliable temperature readings with high altitude balloons, as it was capable of shielding its thermometric elements from solar radiation. The technical implementation and production of this device took place in the factory of Rudolf Fuess (1838–1917).

From 1888 to 1899, he was a member of the Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt, from which he organized scientific balloon ascents in order to study the atmosphere. From these studies, valuable insights in regards to atmospheric stratification of the troposphere were made. He is also credited for popularizing the field of meteorology, and played a significant role in several scientific newspapers and magazines during his career. From 1884 until his death, Assmann published the popular monthly magazine Das Wetter (The Weather). With Léon Teisserenc de Bort (1855–1913), he is credited as co-discoverer of the stratosphere, as both men announced their discovery during the same time period in 1902. In 1903, with meteorologist Arthur Berson (1859–1942), he was awarded the Buys Ballot Medal by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences.

Selected writings Der Einfluß der Gebirge auf das Klima von Mitteldeutschland, 1886 - The influence of mountains on the climate of central Germany. Das Aspirations-Psychrometer. Ein Apparat zur Bestimmung der wahren Temperatur und Feuchtigkeit der Luft, (editor), 1892 - The aspiration psychrometer. An apparatus for determining the true temperature and humidity of the air. Wissenschaftliche Luftfahrten, ausgeführt vom Deutschen Verein zur Förderung der Luftfahrt in Berlin, (three volumes, co-edited with Arthur Berson), 1899–1900 - Scientific air trips, run by the German Association for the Advancement of Aviation in Berlin. Beiträge zur Erforschung der Atmosphäre mittels des Luftballons, 1900 - Contributions to the study of the atmosphere by means of balloons. Die modernen Methoden zur Erforschung der Atmosphäre mittels des Luftballons und Drachen, 1901 - The modern methods to study the atmosphere by means of balloons and kites. Über die Existenz eines wärmeren Luftstromes in der Höhe von 10 bis 15 km, in: Sitzungsberichte der Königlich-Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (Sitzung der physikalisch-mathematischen Klasse vom 1. Mai 1902), Bd. 24, 1902, S. 1-10. - On the existence of a warm air current at heights from 10 to 15 km.

References This article is based on a translation of an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard Assmann

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard Assmann claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 Richard Assmann 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 Richard Assmann 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 Richard Assmann

In research: Richard Assmann appears in biology 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 Richard Assmann 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: Richard Assmann is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1845 births, 1918 deaths, Atmospheric sounding, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard Assmann 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 Richard Assmann in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard Assmann in simple terms?

Why does Richard Assmann matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Richard Assmann?

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 Richard Assmann.