physics

Thomas W. Baumgarte

Thomas W. Baumgarte is a physics 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 W. Baumgarte rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas W. Baumgarte (born 1966) is a German physicist specializing in the numerical simulation of compact objects in general relativity.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas W. Baumgarte (born 1966) is a German physicist specializing in the numerical simulation of compact objects in general relativity.

Career Baumgarte completed his BSc in 1992 at LMU Munich and his PhD in 1995 also at LMU Munich. He worked as a postdoc at Cornell University and University of Illinois and is currently a professor of physics at Bowdoin College. He is the author of over 65 articles about general relativity and astrophysics (for example, black holes, neutron stars, and gravitational collapse). In 2010, along with Stuart L. Shapiro, he published a book on numerical relativity. In 2012, he received the Bessel Prize.

Personal life Baumgarte is married to Karen Topp, who is also a professor at Bowdoin College.

References

External links Literature by and about Thomas W. Baumgarte in the German National Library catalogue Baumgarte Homepage at Bowdoin

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas W. Baumgarte

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas W. Baumgarte claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, 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 W. Baumgarte 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 W. Baumgarte 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 W. Baumgarte

In research: Thomas W. Baumgarte appears in physics 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 W. Baumgarte 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 W. Baumgarte is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1966 births, 21st-century German physicists, Fellows of the American Physical Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas W. Baumgarte 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 W. Baumgarte in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas W. Baumgarte in simple terms?

Thomas W. Baumgarte (born 1966) is a German physicist specializing in the numerical simulation of compact objects in general relativity.

Why does Thomas W. Baumgarte matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 W. Baumgarte?

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 W. Baumgarte.