astronomy

The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science

The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science rather than just read about it. In short: The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science is an encyclopedia on the history of science from around the middle of the 16th century (the early modern period) to the beginning of the 21st century. The book includes 609 articles by over two hundred authors.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science is an encyclopedia on the history of science from around the middle of the 16th century (the early modern period) to the beginning of the 21st century. The book includes 609 articles by over two hundred authors. The editor-in-chief was John L. Heilbron and the editors were James R. Bartholomew, Jim Bennett, Frederic L. Holmes, Rachel Laudan, and Giuliano Pancaldi. The book was published by Oxford University Press in 2003. An e-book version appeared in 2006. In 2014, the book was translated into Japanese and published by Asakura Publishing. The book has been reviewed by the British Journal for the History of Science Choice, Nature, and the Times Literary Supplement.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science

In research: The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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: The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 non-fiction books, Books about the history of science, Encyclopedia stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science in simple terms?

Why does The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science 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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science?

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 The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science.