science

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey rather than just read about it. In short: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed, written and produced by Steven M. Martin about the life of Léon Theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed, written and produced by Steven M. Martin about the life of Léon Theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument.

Synopsis The film follows Theremin's life, including being imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag, and the influence of his instrument, which came to define the sound of eerie in 20th-century films, and influenced popular music as it searched for and celebrated electronic music in the 1960s.

Release It was first broadcast on November 2, 1993 (coincidentally, one day before Theremin's death) as a special edition of Channel 4's Without Walls arts strand.

Reception Theremin set a record for the longest question and answer period at the National Gallery in Washington, and was shown by invitation of the Russian Ministry of Culture to top scientists in St. Petersburg. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called the film a "fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work". Emanuel Levy wrote in Variety: "Considering the flamboyant life that the handsome Theremin lived, the intellectual circles he belonged to and his invention of the world's first electronic security system (for Sing Sing prison), Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey suffers from too many information gaps and an awkward structure. Despite all the problems, the man that Theremin celebrates lived such an outlandish life that it's always absorbing to watch his near-century-long odyssey. Here is a documentary that should have been longer – and fuller." In a December 1995 review, Roger Ebert wrote: "Watching Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a curious experience. You begin with interest, and then you pass through the stages of curiosity, fascination and disbelief, until in the last 20 minutes, you arrive at a state of dumbfounded wonder. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the Theremin possibly could supply."

Accolades Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey won the Documentary Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. It was nominated for an International Emmy, and the Huw Wheldon Award for the Best Arts Programme at the 1994 British Academy Television Awards.

Home media Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey was released on DVD by MGM Home Video on April 1, 2003.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

In research: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1993 American films, 1993 films, American documentary films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey in simple terms?

Why does Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey 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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey?

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 Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey.