astronomy

The Solar Film

The Solar Film 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 Solar Film rather than just read about it. In short: The Solar Film (also known as A Short Film on Solar Energy) is a 1979 short film by Elaine and Saul Bass and produced by Michael Britton. The film was financed through Robert Redford's Wildwood Enterprises with 50-50 funding coming from Philanthropist Norton Simon and Warner Communications and a budget of $402,699.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Solar Film (also known as A Short Film on Solar Energy) is a 1979 short film by Elaine and Saul Bass and produced by Michael Britton. The film was financed through Robert Redford's Wildwood Enterprises with 50-50 funding coming from Philanthropist Norton Simon and Warner Communications and a budget of $402,699.

Summary This film takes a look at the short history of solar energy, what it is and how can it be used culturally and biologically. Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells was used in the film. The film was commissioned by Robert Redford who also served as executive producer.

Accolades 1980: Nominated for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

See also Why Man Creates, Saul Bass's 1968 Oscar-winning documentary short about creativity

References

External links The Solar Film at IMDb The short film The Solar Film is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Solar Film

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Solar Film 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 Solar Film 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 Solar Film 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 Solar Film

In research: The Solar Film 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 Solar Film 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 Solar Film is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970s American animated short films, 1979 English-language films, 1979 animated short films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Solar Film 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 Solar Film in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is The Solar Film in simple terms?

Why does The Solar Film 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 Solar Film?

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 Solar Film.