biology

The Theory of Evolution

The Theory of Evolution is a biology 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 Theory of Evolution rather than just read about it. In short: The Theory of Evolution is a book by English evolutionary biologist and geneticist John Maynard Smith, originally published in 1958 in time for 150th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the centenary of the publication of The Origin of Species the following year. It serves as a general introduction to the eponymous subject, intended to be accessible to those with little technical knowledge of the area.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Theory of Evolution is a book by English evolutionary biologist and geneticist John Maynard Smith, originally published in 1958 in time for 150th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the centenary of the publication of The Origin of Species the following year. It serves as a general introduction to the eponymous subject, intended to be accessible to those with little technical knowledge of the area. It has been highly successful, considered by many as the definitive publication of its type. The original version was updated several times, and a Canto edition, with a foreword by Richard Dawkins, and newly written introduction by the author, was published in 1996.

Notes and references

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Theory of Evolution

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Theory of Evolution claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 Theory of Evolution 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 Theory of Evolution 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 Theory of Evolution

In research: The Theory of Evolution appears in biology 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 Theory of Evolution 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 Theory of Evolution is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1958 in biology, 1958 non-fiction books, Biology book stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Theory of Evolution 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 Theory of Evolution in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is The Theory of Evolution in simple terms?

Why does The Theory of Evolution matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Theory of Evolution?

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 Theory of Evolution.