physics

Richard DiPrima

Richard DiPrima is a physics 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 DiPrima rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Clyde DiPrima (1927 to 1984) was a professor of applied mechanics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, specializing in hydrodynamic stability and lubrication theory. DiPrima studied at Carnegie Mellon University attaining B.A.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard Clyde DiPrima (1927 to 1984) was a professor of applied mechanics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, specializing in hydrodynamic stability and lubrication theory. DiPrima studied at Carnegie Mellon University attaining B.A. M.S. and Ph.D. there. He wrote his thesis under George H. Handelman. He continued his studies, first at MIT with C. C. Lin, and then for two years at Harvard with Bernard Budiansky and George Carrier. In Boston he married Maureen. DiPrima was employed at Hughes Aircraft for a year in their laboratory. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute acquired his services in 1957; he was promoted to associate professor in 1959. He was made a full professor in 1962. From 1972 to 1981 he served as chair of the department of mathematical sciences. He joined William E. Boyce to write Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, a textbook that is now in its eleventh edition. DiPrima was a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Academy of Mechanics, and of the American Physical Society. He was a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. In administrative service, he served as president of SIAM, and as chair of the executive committee of the Applied Mechanics Division of ASME. DiPrima was a Fulbright fellow in 1964 and 1983, and had a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1982. He received the W.H. Wiley distinguished faculty award in 1980 from Rensselaer. In 1988 SIAM began awarding the Richard C. DiPrima Prize every two years. DiPrima died on September 10, 1984. One year later a conference dedicated to the memory of DiPrima was held at Rensselaer, and the Proceedings published.

Selected works 1966: (with R. Soni) "The convergence of the Galerkin method for the Taylor–Dean stability problem", Quarterly of Applied Mathematics 23(4): 183. 1969 (with G. J. Hobitler) "A completeness theorem for non-self-adjoint eigenvalue problems in hydrodynamic stability", Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis 1970: (with S. Kogelman) "Stability of spatially periodic supercritical flows in hydrodynamics", Physics of Fluids 13: 1–11 1978: (with J. Trevor Stuart) "The Eckhaus and Benjamin-Feir Resonance Mechanisms", Proceedings of the Royal Society A 362: 27, issue 1708, Bibcode:1978RSPSA.362...27S S2CID 119822941 2006: (with P.M.Eagles & Trevor Stuart) "The effects of eccentricity on torque and load in Taylor-vortex flow", Journal of Fluid Mechanics 87(2): 209 doi:10.1017/S002211207800155X S2CID 122036724

References

Richard DiPrima at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard DiPrima

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

In research: Richard DiPrima appears in physics 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 DiPrima 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 DiPrima is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1927 births, 1984 deaths, 20th-century American engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard DiPrima 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 DiPrima in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard DiPrima in simple terms?

Why does Richard DiPrima matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 DiPrima?

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 DiPrima.