astronomy

Samuel B. McDowell

Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell rather than just read about it. In short: Samuel Booker McDowell Jr. (1928–2014) was an American herpetologist who worked on the comparative anatomy of turtles and snakes, and studied snakes of Oceania.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Samuel Booker McDowell Jr. (1928–2014) was an American herpetologist who worked on the comparative anatomy of turtles and snakes, and studied snakes of Oceania. McDowell earned a B.Sc. (1947) and a Ph.D. (1957) from Columbia University, and worked at the American Museum of Natural History. His zoological author abbreviation is McDowell. Several snakes are named in his honor. In addition to his scientific work, McDowell was a friend of New Yorker writer A.J. Liebling, and an occasional contributor to the magazine in the early 1960s.

Some taxa authored Acrochordus arafurae Emydinae Pseudoxenodontinae Salomonelaps

Eponyms The following four snakes are named in honor of McDowell.

Hydrophis macdowelli Kharin, 1983 Tropidonophis mcdowelli Malnate & Underwood, 1988 Gerrhopilus mcdowelli (Wallach, 1996) Candoia paulsoni mcdowelli H.M. Smith & Chiszar, 2001 Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a different genus.

Selected publications S. B. McDowell (7 July 2010). "The genera of sea-snakes of the Hydrophis group(Serpentes: Elapidae)". Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 32 (3): 189–247. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1972.tb00028.x. ISSN 0084-5620. Wikidata Q99966086. S. B. McDowell (20 August 2009). "On the status and relationships of the Solomon Island elapid snakes". Journal of Zoology. 161 (2): 145–190. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1970.tb02032.x. ISSN 1469-7998. Wikidata Q29030857. S. B. McDowell (20 August 2009). "Toxicocalamus, a New Guinea genus of snakes of the family Elapidae". Journal of Zoology. 159 (4): 443–511. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb03900.x. ISSN 1469-7998. Wikidata Q55868153. S. B. McDowell; H. G. Cogger (20 August 2009). "Aspidomorphus, a genus of New Guinea snakes of the Family Elapidae, with notes on related genera". Journal of Zoology: Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 151 (4): 497–543. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1967.tb02130.x. ISSN 0952-8369. Wikidata Q99966085. T. Lamb; J. W. Bickham; J. W. Gibbons; M. J. Smolen; S. McDowell (1 January 1991). "Genetic damage in a population of slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) inhabiting a radioactive reservoir" (PDF). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 20 (1): 138–142. doi:10.1007/bf01065340. ISSN 0090-4341. PMID 1996906. Wikidata Q68201288. S. B. McDowell; R. Longmore (5 August 1987). "Atlas of Elapid Snakes of Australia". Copeia (in Spanish). 1987 (3): 824. doi:10.2307/1445691. ISSN 0045-8511. Wikidata Q95637275.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samuel B. McDowell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell

In research: Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell 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: Samuel B. McDowell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1928 births, 2014 deaths, American herpetologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Samuel B. McDowell in simple terms?

Samuel Booker McDowell Jr. (1928–2014) was an American herpetologist who worked on the comparative anatomy of turtles and snakes, and studied snakes of Oceania.

Why does Samuel B. McDowell 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 Samuel B. McDowell?

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 Samuel B. McDowell.