astronomy

Tom Stafford (astronomer)

Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer) rather than just read about it. In short: Tom Stafford is an American astronomer who has discovered a number of asteroids since 1997, including 12061 Alena, 12533 Edmond, 13436 Enid, 13688 Oklahoma and 15904 Halstead at Zeno Observatory (observatory code 727) in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is the son of Joseph W.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Tom Stafford is an American astronomer who has discovered a number of asteroids since 1997, including 12061 Alena, 12533 Edmond, 13436 Enid, 13688 Oklahoma and 15904 Halstead at Zeno Observatory (observatory code 727) in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is the son of Joseph W. Stafford and Alena Ruth Robbins, both now deceased, and has a sister, Susan Halstead.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tom Stafford (astronomer)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer)

In research: Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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: Tom Stafford (astronomer) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American astronomer stubs, American astronomers, Discoverers of asteroids, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Tom Stafford (astronomer) in simple terms?

Why does Tom Stafford (astronomer) 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 Tom Stafford (astronomer)?

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 Tom Stafford (astronomer).