astronomy

Sidney Wilcox McCuskey

Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey rather than just read about it. In short: Sidney Wilcox McCuskey (February 28, 1907 – April 22, 1979) was an American mathematician and astronomer. He was director of the Warner and Swasey Observatory and named emeritus professor of astronomy at Case Western Reserve University.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Sidney Wilcox McCuskey (February 28, 1907 – April 22, 1979) was an American mathematician and astronomer. He was director of the Warner and Swasey Observatory and named emeritus professor of astronomy at Case Western Reserve University.

Biography He was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on February 28, 1907, the son of Charles McCuskey and Lottie (née Wilcox). In 1925 Sidney became an amateur radio hobbyist. He matriculated to the Case School of Applied Science where in 1929 he was awarded a B.S. in Civil Engineering. The following year he received his M.S. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a stint at surveying, he was influenced by Jason John Nassau to study astronomy at Harvard University. There his graduate adviser was the Dutch-American astronomer Bart Bok. Receiving his astronomy Ph.D. in 1936 with a thesis titled The Determination of Radial Velocities with the Objective Prism, Dr. McCuskey accepted a job with the department of mathematics at his alma mater, the Case Institute of Technology. Following his service during the Second World War, he became the Levi Kerr professor of mathematics and astronomy, and chair of the department of mathematics at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). During this period he served as an assistant to Jason John Nassau at the Warner and Swasey Observatory. Following Nassau's retirement in 1959, Dr. McCuskey was named director of the observatory and chairman of the department of astronomy for the university. He became the first to occupy the Warner Chair of Astronomy at CWRU, and would hold that position until he retired as professor emeritus in 1975. Dr. McCuskey was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Astronomical Society (AAS); during 1955–1958 he was a councilor for the AAS and in 1966–1968 he served as vice-president. He was an active member of the International Astronomical Union, serving as vice-president of commission 33 during 1967–1970 and president of the same in 1970–1973. He is noted for his contributions to knowledge of the Milky Way galaxy and he wrote several books on mathematics and astronomy during his career. Dying at the age of 72, he was survived by his wife Jeannette (née Scott) and their two sons. The minor planet 2007 McCuskey is named after him.

Bibliography

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sidney Wilcox McCuskey

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey

In research: Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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: Sidney Wilcox McCuskey is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1907 births, 1979 deaths, 20th-century American mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Sidney Wilcox McCuskey in simple terms?

Why does Sidney Wilcox McCuskey 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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey?

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 Sidney Wilcox McCuskey.