astronomy

V. Appapillai

V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai rather than just read about it. In short: Velupillai Appapillai (13 November 1913 – 4 July 2001) was a Sri Lankan physicist and academic. He was the dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Velupillai Appapillai (13 November 1913 – 4 July 2001) was a Sri Lankan physicist and academic. He was the dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya.

Early life and family Appapillai was born on 13 November 1913 in Batticaloa in eastern Ceylon. He was educated at Jaffna Central College, graduating in 1931. After school he joined Ceylon University College, Colombo, graduating with a BSc degree in physics.

Career In 1936 Appapillai was appointed a demonstrator in physics at the Ceylon University College. He became a lecturer of physics in 1938. He carried out his doctoral research in Colombo before going to the University of Manchester in 1946 to work under P. M. S. Blackett, Langworthy Professor of Physics. Appapillai's work on the composition and origin of cosmic rays at sea level in Colombo earned him a PhD from the University of London. After returning to Ceylon Appapillai collaborated with Blackett, Arnold Wolfendale and A. W. Mailvaganam in establishing that Associated Penetrating Particles did not exist within the limits of measurement. He was asked in 1963 to organise and develop a new Department of Physics at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. He was dean of the Faculty of Science at the university between 1970 and 1979 when he retired. Appapillai was a fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Physicist. He was a member of the Ceylon Association for the Advancement of Science, Pan Indian Ocean Science Association (PIOSA), UNESCO National Commission, Ceylon Standards Advisory Council and the National Science Council of Ceylon Standards. He was the PIOSA's delegate at various international science conferences in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1958 he was an observer at the British nuclear tests at Maralinga in Australia.

Later life The University of Peradeniya appointed Appapillai an emeritus professor in 1979 and awarded him an honorary DSc degree in 1984. The University of Jaffna awarded him an honorary DSc degree in October 1999. Appapillai headed a committee appointed by the University Grants Commission which recommended the establishment of the Batticaloa University College. The University of Peradeniya has named one of its annual prizes after Appapillai. Appapillai moved to the USA to live with his daughter. He died on 4 July 2001 in Connecticut.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with V. Appapillai

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai

In research: V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai 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: V. Appapillai is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1913 births, 2001 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for V. Appapillai 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “V. Appapillai” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study V. Appapillai in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is V. Appapillai in simple terms?

Velupillai Appapillai (13 November 1913 – 4 July 2001) was a Sri Lankan physicist and academic. He was the dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya.

Why does V. Appapillai 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 V. Appapillai?

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 V. Appapillai.