science

StW 505

StW 505 is a science 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 StW 505 rather than just read about it. In short: StW 505 is the most complete hominin cranium discovered in Sterkfontein Member 4 since Broom's excavations. It was found in situ in Member 4 breccia in 1989 and is larger, on the whole, than any other cranium from Sterkfontein that has comparable parts.

Key takeaways

StW 505 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect StW 505 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of StW 505 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

StW 505 is the most complete hominin cranium discovered in Sterkfontein Member 4 since Broom's excavations. It was found in situ in Member 4 breccia in 1989 and is larger, on the whole, than any other cranium from Sterkfontein that has comparable parts. Displacement due to breakage, as well as plastic deformation, has affected Stw 505 in several areas, especially the face and the vault. Diagnosticmorphology is nevertheless abundant in the specimen. In several areas the distinct anterior pillar, the straight inferior border of the zygoma, the pattern of cresting on the naso-alveolar clivus, the basal aspect of the temporal bone-Stw 505 closely matches the morphology of specimens of Australopithecus africanus and is distinct from other hominins. Some isolated characters overlap with other groups, mainly early Homo and/or A. robustus. However, only the hypodigm of A. africanus can encompass the full range of morphology. In some instances, Stw 505 adds more variation to the Sterkfontein sample. For example, prominent superciliary eminences are located in the medial portions of the supraorbital region and extend medially into a strongly protruding glabellar mound. These characteristics are probably attributable to sexual dimorphism. In many respects, Stw 505 highlights similarities between A. africanus and early Homo. Comparison with other species suggests that males of A. africanus do not show derived features of A. robustus that are not also present in females, and that cranial differences between A. afarensis and A. africanus have, if anything, been understated.

See also List of human evolution fossils STS 14

References

Bibliography Lockwood, CA; Tobias, PV (Jun 1999). "A large male hominin cranium from Sterkfontein, South Africa, and the status of Australopithecus africanus". J Hum Evol. 36 (6): 637–85. doi:10.1006/jhev.1999.0299. PMID 10330332. Reed, K; Fleagle, JG; Leakey, RE (2013). The Paleobiology of Australopithecus (Google Books). Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer. ISBN 9789400759190. Retrieved 20 January 2015.

External links Media related to Stw 505 at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with StW 505

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what StW 505 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 StW 505 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 StW 505 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 StW 505

In research: StW 505 appears in science 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 StW 505 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: StW 505 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1989 in paleontology, Archaeology of Southern Africa, Australopithecus fossils, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for StW 505 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 StW 505 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what StW 505 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 StW 505 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is StW 505 in simple terms?

Why does StW 505 matter?

Because it connects several science 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 StW 505?

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 StW 505.