astronomy

Richard D. Lines

Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines rather than just read about it. In short: Richard D. Lines (April 21, 1916 – June 29, 1992) was an American amateur astronomer.

Key takeaways

Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Richard D. Lines from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Richard D. Lines (April 21, 1916 – June 29, 1992) was an American amateur astronomer. He started as a deep-sky observer and photographer, but later specialized in photometry of variable stars. He was a member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers and International Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry (I.A.P.P.P.). Together with his wife Helen Chambliss Lines, also a keen astronomer, he built a small observatory in Mayer, Arizona. In 1962 he co-discovered the comet Seki-Lines. In 1992 he and his wife won the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for their work in the field of photoelectric photometry of variable stars. Short time after he was awarded, Richard Lines died. In 1994 the I.A.P.P.P. announced that its annual Special Award in Astronomy would carry his name as the Richard D. Lines Special Award in Astronomy.

References The I.A.P.P.P. Richard D. Lines Special Award in Astronomy, International Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry Communication, No. 57, p. 63 Saguaro Astronomy Club: The Passing of Richard Lines Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Comet Hunter Seki's Webpage I.A.P.P.P.: the Richard D. Lines Award Amateur Achievement Award winners

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard D. Lines

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines 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 D. Lines 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 D. Lines

In research: Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines 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 D. Lines is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1916 births, 1992 deaths, 20th-century American astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard D. Lines in simple terms?

Richard D. Lines (April 21, 1916 – June 29, 1992) was an American amateur astronomer.

Why does Richard D. Lines 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 D. Lines?

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 D. Lines.