astronomy

Samuel Stearns

Samuel Stearns 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 Stearns rather than just read about it. In short: Samuel Stearns (1741–1810) was an American astronomer, medical doctor, writer and publisher. Career Stearns was born 13 July 1741 at Bolton, Massachusetts.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Samuel Stearns (1741–1810) was an American astronomer, medical doctor, writer and publisher.

Career Stearns was born 13 July 1741 at Bolton, Massachusetts. He lived at Paxton, Massachusetts, from 1771 until 1784, from there issuing his annual The North-American’s almanack. He moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, where his regular almanac became The Universal Calendar: and Northamerican Almanack. He also published the first ever nautical almanack (1792) to be printed in America. His trade was medicine but he also studied herbalism and astronomy. The book Annals of Brattleboro, 1681-1895 states of him that: "His fame as an astronomer led many of the inhabitants to consult him on the turn of future events." His sister married William Herschel, the astronomer.

American Revolutionary war Stearns was a British Loyalist during and after the American Revolutionary War, which caused him to be falsely accused of several crimes and falsely imprisoned. He was forced at various times to flee to the British, first in Long Island, New York (1780–83), later to Britain itself. In 1790 he took a degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and travelled in Europe.

Death He returned to America and died at Brattleboro on 8 August 1810. He was buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. The Stearns papers are held at 2013 as: "Stearns, Samuel, Papers, 1784-1810; 1904-1935", as part of the American Antiquarian Society's Manuscript Collections.

Bibliography The American Herbal or Materia Medica (1801) (Part of his larger North American Dispensatory, a uniform textbook for medical treatment). The American Oracle (1791) (his collected contributions to The Philadelphia Magazine of which he was the editor for a short time, on recent discoveries in the arts and sciences). The mystery of animal magnetism revealed (1791, a debunking account). Dr. Stearns's Tour from London to Paris (1790). A Tour in Holland, by an American (1790).

Further reading John C.L. Clark, "'The famous Doctor Stearns.' A biographical sketch of Dr. Samuel Stearns with a bibliography", Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 45(2): 317-424. 1935

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samuel Stearns

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samuel Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns

In research: Samuel Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1741 births, 1810 deaths, American astronomers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samuel Stearns 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 Stearns in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Samuel Stearns in simple terms?

Samuel Stearns (1741–1810) was an American astronomer, medical doctor, writer and publisher. Career Stearns was born 13 July 1741 at Bolton, Massachusetts.

Why does Samuel Stearns 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 Stearns?

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 Stearns.