science

Twelve Local Heroes

Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes rather than just read about it. In short: The Twelve Local Heroes is a series of bronze busts in Christchurch, New Zealand. Sculpted by Mark Whyte, the objective was to commemorate twelve local Christchurch people who were prominent in their respective fields in the latter part of the 20th century.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Twelve Local Heroes is a series of bronze busts in Christchurch, New Zealand. Sculpted by Mark Whyte, the objective was to commemorate twelve local Christchurch people who were prominent in their respective fields in the latter part of the 20th century. The artwork series was initially installed in the central city on Worcester Boulevard outside the Arts Centre. Removed after the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, the busts were reinstated in 2023 at the University of Canterbury campus in the suburb of Ilam.

History The establishment of the commemorative sculptures was driven by the Twelve Local Heroes charitable trust. The project had been four years in the making before the bronze busts were unveiled on 18 March 2009. The artwork was produced by the sculptor Mark Whyte. The sculptures were removed from their position on Worcester Boulevard to facilitate the post earthquake restoration of the Engineering block of the Arts Centre of Christchurch. Following the restoration, it was envisaged that they would return. Instead, the busts were installed in January 2023 at the University of Canterbury campus in the suburb of Ilam as part of the university's 150th anniversary. It is envisaged that the Twelve Local Heroes will remain at the university for two years.

Local Heroes The Twelve Local Heroes can be grouped by having died prior to the project commencing, by agreeing to be included but having since died, and by being alive.

Deceased prior to project start Members of this group had no influence on their inclusion as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, as they had died before the decision was made to create a memorial.

Deceased since project start Members of this group were asked and agreed to be included as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, but have since died.

Living Members of this group were asked and agreed to be included as one of the Twelve Local Heroes, and are still alive today.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Twelve Local Heroes

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes

In research: Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes 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: Twelve Local Heroes is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2009 sculptures, Bronze sculptures in New Zealand, Busts (sculpture), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Twelve Local Heroes in simple terms?

Why does Twelve Local Heroes 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 Twelve Local Heroes?

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 Twelve Local Heroes.