astronomy

Richard C. Maclaurin

Richard C. Maclaurin 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 Richard C. Maclaurin rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Cockburn Maclaurin ( KOH-bərn; June 5, 1870 – January 15, 1920) was a Scottish-born U.S. educator and mathematical physicist. He was made president of MIT in 1909, and held the position until his death in 1920.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard Cockburn Maclaurin ( KOH-bərn; June 5, 1870 – January 15, 1920) was a Scottish-born U.S. educator and mathematical physicist. He was made president of MIT in 1909, and held the position until his death in 1920. During his tenure as president of MIT, the Institute moved across the Charles River from Boston to its present campus in Cambridge. In Maclaurin's honor, the buildings that surround Killian Court on the oldest part of the campus are sometimes called the Maclaurin Buildings. Earlier, he was a foundation professor of the then Victoria College of the University of New Zealand from 1899 to 1907. A collection of lecture theatres at the Kelburn campus of that university were named after him. He was also a professor at Columbia University from 1907 to 1908.

Personal Maclaurin was born in Scotland, and was related to the noted Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin. He emigrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of four. In 1904 he married Alice Young of Auckland, and they had two sons. His brother James Scott Maclaurin (1864–1939) was a noted chemist, who invented a process for extracting gold with cyanide.

Education University Entrance Scholar, 1887, Auckland Grammar School B.Sc. (Hons), Mathematics, 1890, Auckland University College. BA, 1895 (12th wrangler); LL.D., 1904, St John's College, University of Cambridge.

Publications On the Nature and Evidence of Title to Realty, 1901 Treatise on the Theory of Light, 1908

Honors Smith's Prize in Mathematics, 1896 Yorke Prize in Law, University of Cambridge, 1898 Elected member of the American Philosophical Society, 1910 Elected member of the America Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1911

References

External links

Works by or about Richard C. Maclaurin at the Internet Archive 'MACLAURIN, Richard Cockburn', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. 'Richard Cockburn Maclaurin, 1870–1920', from History of the Office of the MIT President, Institute Archives, MIT Libraries, October 2004. Maclaurin in Mathematics at Victoria University College

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard C. Maclaurin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard C. Maclaurin 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 Richard C. Maclaurin 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 C. Maclaurin 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 C. Maclaurin

In research: Richard C. Maclaurin 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 Richard C. Maclaurin 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 C. Maclaurin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1870 births, 1920 deaths, Academic staff of Victoria University of Wellington, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard C. Maclaurin 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 C. Maclaurin in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard C. Maclaurin in simple terms?

Why does Richard C. Maclaurin 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 Richard C. Maclaurin?

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 C. Maclaurin.