science

Tondemo-bon

Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon rather than just read about it. In short: Tondemo (トンデモ, Tondemo) means "outrageous" or "preposterous" + bon (本, hon) "book" in Japanese. Recently the word has gained another meaning thanks to the activity of Togakkai (the Academy of Tondemo books) which annually award Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho (Japan Tondemo Book Award), which is similar to the Golden Raspberry Award or the Ig Nobel Prize.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Tondemo (トンデモ, Tondemo) means "outrageous" or "preposterous" + bon (本, hon) "book" in Japanese. Recently the word has gained another meaning thanks to the activity of Togakkai (the Academy of Tondemo books) which annually award Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho (Japan Tondemo Book Award), which is similar to the Golden Raspberry Award or the Ig Nobel Prize. Tondemo-bon is defined by the academy as "something amusing from a perspective that differs from what the author intends". The award covers not just conspiracy theory or pseudoscience but also includes historical revisionism as well as atheists or scientific sceptics who make rather biased attacks toward the former. The members of Togakkai included religious figures as well as scientists and other academics. In Japan, this genre has superseded similar activities of scientific sceptics.

Togakai tondemobon taisho winners Here is a list of winners of the Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho (Japan Tondemo Book Award):

Ninja, Its Origin and Technique(「忍者のラビリンス」) by Amano Jin, an ostensibly scholarly exploration of the history of ninja techniques, including the secret magical hand gestures Winner in 2001 was,Amazing Science Fiction Weapons(「奇想天外SF兵器) by Kei yoshio, a notoriously poorly researched book detailing the weapons and plots of science fiction series Winner in 2000 was A Final Warning from Mother Earth(大地からの最終警告」) by Hiromichi Yamashita, a guide to the future based on the knowledge of the ancients of Atlantis and other civilizations

See also Conspiracy theory UFO conspiracy theory Hollow Earth Pseudoscience

External links Togakkai (the Academy of Outrageous Books) (in Japanese)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tondemo-bon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon

In research: Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon 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: Tondemo-bon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Japanese words and phrases, Pseudoscience, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Tondemo-bon in simple terms?

Why does Tondemo-bon 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 Tondemo-bon?

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 Tondemo-bon.