science

Straw checkerboard

Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard rather than just read about it. In short: The straw checkerboard technique is used for fixing sand dunes to fight desertification. Straw of wheat, rice and reeds are placed in the shape of a checkerboard and half buried.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The straw checkerboard technique is used for fixing sand dunes to fight desertification. Straw of wheat, rice and reeds are placed in the shape of a checkerboard and half buried. It has a windbreak effect and contributes to soil formation through the increase of organic matter of the surface soil. It was conceived at the Shapotou Desert Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955 to protect the Baotou–Lanzhou railway crossing the Tengger Desert, where planting of sand-fixing plants without irrigation was carried out as early as 1956. It was earlier used in the Soviet Union, which used the technique during the construction of a railway in the Karakum Desert in Central Asia. It is widely used in China. A 2004 study concluded that it is "a very effective technique, with wide application for sand dune fixation both in China and around the world." while a 2013 study described it as "the most representative antidesertification measure." Straw checkerboards and planting shrubs are successful methods for mobile sand dune stabilization and desertified grassland restoration in semiarid regions. Another study found that straw checkerboard barriers are more suitable for sand fixation in weak wind areas, while rocky checkerboard barriers are more suitable in strong wind areas. Traditionally done by hand, an automated straw checkerboard laying machine has been developed that is 53 times faster than manual methods. It has seen limited use in Iran, Ghana, Egypt, Mongolia.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Straw checkerboard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard

In research: Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard 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: Straw checkerboard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Desertification, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Straw checkerboard in simple terms?

The straw checkerboard technique is used for fixing sand dunes to fight desertification. Straw of wheat, rice and reeds are placed in the shape of a checkerboard and half buried.

Why does Straw checkerboard 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 Straw checkerboard?

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 Straw checkerboard.