astronomy

Thomas Hofmann

Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Frank Hofmann (born 1968) is a German food chemist and academic administrator. Since 2019, he has been President of the Technical University of Munich.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas Frank Hofmann (born 1968) is a German food chemist and academic administrator. Since 2019, he has been President of the Technical University of Munich.

Education Hofmann passed the Abitur in 1987 at the Meranier-Gymnasium Lichtenfels and studied food chemistry at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg from 1988 to 1992. In 1995, he received his PhD from the Technical University of Munich and habilitated in 1998.

Career Until 2002, Hofmann taught as a Privatdozent for Food Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich. From 2002 to 2006, he was Professor (C4) and managing director of the Institute of Food Chemistry at the University of Münster. From 2007, he held the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science at the Weihenstephan Science Center of the Technical University of Munich. From 2009 to 2019, Hofmann was TUM's Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation. In October 2018, he was elected by the University Council to succeed Wolfgang A. Herrmann as President of TUM, effective 1 October 2019.

Other activities Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Member of the Board of Trustees Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Member of the Board of Trustees

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas Hofmann

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann

In research: Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann 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: Thomas Hofmann is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1968 births, Academic staff of the Technical University of Munich, Academic staff of the University of Münster, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas Hofmann in simple terms?

Thomas Frank Hofmann (born 1968) is a German food chemist and academic administrator. Since 2019, he has been President of the Technical University of Munich.

Why does Thomas Hofmann 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 Thomas Hofmann?

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 Thomas Hofmann.