astronomy

University of London Computer Centre

University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre rather than just read about it. In short: The University of London Computer Centre (ULCC) was founded in 1968, and was the first supercomputer facility established in London for the purpose of scientific and educational research by all of the colleges of the University of London. Facility ULCC initially provided large-scale CDC-based facilities, then from 1982 to 1991 a national Cray vector supercomputing service, and more recently a six processor, 4Gb Conv…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The University of London Computer Centre (ULCC) was founded in 1968, and was the first supercomputer facility established in London for the purpose of scientific and educational research by all of the colleges of the University of London.

Facility ULCC initially provided large-scale CDC-based facilities, then from 1982 to 1991 a national Cray vector supercomputing service, and more recently a six processor, 4Gb Convex C3860 supercomputer with a Convex C3200 front-end. ULCC also became a major site for national and international network connections in the UK. It ran the Network Operations and Service Centre for the JANET Internet Protocol Service (JIPS), the largest of the JANET network centres, and various international links and relays on behalf of UKERNA. Since the closure of its supercomputer service in the 1990s, ULCC has focused on providing IT services across the educational and public sector, as well as undertaking research work in fields such as digital preservation and e-learning. In 2009, after 40 years, ULCC moved out of its premises at 20 Guilford Street, which were custom built in the 1960s to house some of the earliest supercomputers in the UK. It is now based within the central university at Senate House. In 2015 ULCC became part of CoSector - University of London.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with University of London Computer Centre

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre

In research: University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre 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: University of London Computer Centre is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics History of computing in the United Kingdom, History of telecommunications in the United Kingdom, Jisc, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is University of London Computer Centre in simple terms?

Why does University of London Computer Centre 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 University of London Computer Centre?

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 University of London Computer Centre.