astronomy

Robin Neill

Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill rather than just read about it. In short: Robin F. Neill (1931–2014) was a Canadian economic historian who was a longstanding professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and then, latterly, at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Robin F. Neill (1931–2014) was a Canadian economic historian who was a longstanding professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and then, latterly, at the University of Prince Edward Island. Born in 1931 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Robin Neill held a B.A. and M.A. in political economy from the University of Toronto and a PhD in economics from Duke. His academic appointments included the University of Saskatchewan, 1960–69; University of Prince Edward Island, 1970–72; Carleton University, 1972–95 (retired as full professor), University of Prince Edward Island and Carleton University (-2013), adjunct professor, 1995–1998. He was special advisor to the Fisheries Council of Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, from 1984 to 1985. He was on the board of governors of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council from 1997 to 2003 and served as vice-president from 1998 to 2000. He was on the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies, research advisory board since 1998 and served as chairman of the RAB since 2001. Over his career, Neill wrote three books and over forty academic articles. His writings in the Journal of Canadian Studies were extensive — with subjects including Adam Shortt, Harold Adams Innis, Social Credit, economic activity in Quebec, the state of economic history in the 1970s, and the Saskatchewan school of economic historiography. His work offers a right-wing analysis of Canadian economic history. He established himself as a critic of Harold Adams Innis’ staple thesis, which explains Canadian economic development as a lateral, east–west conception of trade. Neill advocated a post-Innisian thesis, explaining the development as an expression of variegated regions (population density, cultural politics, geographic characteristics) and of their particular north–south relations with the United States.

Publications Neill, Robin (1972). A New Theory of Value: The Canadian Economics of H.A. Innis. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-1855-6. Neill, Robin (1991). A History of Canadian Economic Thought. Routledge History of Economic Thought Series. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-05412-5.

Book chapters Neill, Robin (2015), "Canada", in Barnett, V. (ed.), Routledge handbook of the history of global economic thought, New York: Routledge, pp. 130–139, retrieved 10 October 2014

Selected articles Neill, Robin (2013), As the twig is bent, globalization & continentalization: Canadian economic development, 1600–2000, Ronkonkoma, N.Y.: Linus Learning, retrieved 10 October 2014 Neill, Robin (2011), Ontario and Canada in the Great Moderation and beyond, ACEA Papers and Proceedings, Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Canada Economics Association (ACEA), retrieved 10 October 2014 Neill, Robin (2010), Plus ca change:: the Prairie provinces in the age of globalization, ACEA Papers, Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Canada Economics Association (ACEA), retrieved 10 October 2014 Neill, Robin F. (May 2009). "Using a wrench as a hammer: Why EI is the wrong tool to respond to loss of income in an economic downturn" (PDF). Retrieved 14 July 2014.

References

External links Robin Neill Memorial Blog "Professor Robin Neill's Home Page". University of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS), Halifax, Nova Scotia. nd. Retrieved 14 July 2014.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Robin Neill

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill

In research: Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill 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: Robin Neill is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1931 births, 2014 deaths, 20th-century Canadian historians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Robin Neill in simple terms?

Robin F. Neill (1931–2014) was a Canadian economic historian who was a longstanding professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and then, latterly, at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Why does Robin Neill 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 Robin Neill?

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 Robin Neill.