astronomy

Vassil Tzankov

Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov rather than just read about it. In short: Vassil Tzankov Tzankov (Bulgarian: Васил Цанков Цанков) (15 April [O.S. 2 April] 1905, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Bulgaria – August 25, 1986, Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian geologist and paleontologist. He is best known for his work on Upper Cretaceous ammonites and bivalves.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Vassil Tzankov Tzankov (Bulgarian: Васил Цанков Цанков) (15 April [O.S. 2 April] 1905, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Bulgaria – August 25, 1986, Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian geologist and paleontologist. He is best known for his work on Upper Cretaceous ammonites and bivalves. Tzankov was head of Bulgarian Geological Survey from 1941 until 1944. In 1945 he became docent and in 1947 - professor, and was appointed to the paleontology chair at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". In the late 1950s Tzankov organized the launch and became the first editor and one of the principal authors of the multi-volume treatise "Fossils of Bulgaria" (Bulgarian: Фосилите на България). Contributors to the treatise included leading Bulgarian specialists in the field. He served as deputy director of the Geological Institute at the Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources in the period 1960-1966. From 1967 to 1982 Tzankov also served as head of the Department of Paleontology with the Geological Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In 1967 he was elected as a corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Early life Tzankov was raised in Shumen in the family of a veterinary physician, Dr. Tzanko Tzankov (1869-1941). After attending high school in Shumen, he enrolled in Sofia University, taking his undergraduate degree in natural history in 1929. He took his PhD in 1929, under the supervision of Dr. Stephan Bonchev and became the first student to be awarded a doctorate in natural science in Bulgaria. His dissertation was regional paleontological survey of Shumen plateau, and in particular, stratigraphy and paleontology of the Upper Cretaceous fossils in Northeastern Bulgaria.

Early career Tzankov commenced work as an assistant professor in geology at Sofia University in 1930. He did postgraduate research in Vienna (1936), Paris (1938–39) and Berlin (1941). In 1939, he was appointed chief of the Geology section at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Labour. In 1941, he was appointed head of Geology Research within the newly established directorate “Natural Resources”. During that period he introduced micropaleontological research – foraminifera, conodonts, spores and pollen – in Bulgaria. In 1945 he resumed his academic work at Sofia University. In 1947, he was promoted to full professor. He would alternate in his role of director of the Bulgarian Geological Survey for many years, performing double duty as professor for those years.

Fossils of Bulgaria Beginning in the 1950s, Tzankov drafted a project in which Bulgarian specialists would write on their area of expertise in paleontology as contributions to a multi volume series, which would be published by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Tzankov became editor, and also provided assistance for definition of morphologic terms, as well as other explanations. He supplied the parts to the treatise which concerned his own specialty areas.

Later career In 1967, Tzankov was elected corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In the same year he was also appointed as head of the Department of Paleontology at the Geological Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, a position he held until 1982.

Memberships Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Honorary Member of the Bulgarian Geological Society. Editor – Geologica Balcanica

Legacy and awards In his later years, Tzankov continued his work on "Fossils of Bulgaria" and on phylogeny of the ammonites Holcodiscidae and Asteridiscidae (together with St. Breskovski). He died in Sofia in 1986. Vassil Tzankov was survived by his wife Kincha, daughter Yana and son Tzanko. He received many awards, including an honorary badge of Sofia University, state order Sts. Cyril and Methodius etc. His collection of fossils is preserved in the Sofia University Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology (SUMPHG).

Selected bibliography He is author of more than 100 publications, including 5 textbooks and 3 books.

Les Fossiles de Bulgarie, Sofia: Éditions de L’Académie Bulgare des Sciences. Publié sous la rédaction de V. Tzankov Tzankov, Vassil; Pamouktchiev, A.; Tchechmedjieva, V.; Motekova, N. (1981). Les fossiles de Bulgarie V Crétacé supérieur. Grandes foraminifères, Anthozoaires, Gastéropodes, Bivalvia (in Bulgarian and French). Sofia: Éditions de L'Académie bulgare des sciences. OCLC 31018111 – via Internet Archive. Tzankov, Vassil (1982). Les fossiles de Bulgarie Va Crétacé supérieur. Cephalopoda (Nautiloidea, Ammonoidea) et Echinodermata (Echinoidea) (in Bulgarian and French). Sofia: Éditions de L'Académie bulgare des sciences. OCLC 1014711410 – via Internet Archive.

References

External links

"Paleontology Hall". National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria. V Tzankov publications indexed by Google Scholar

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vassil Tzankov

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov

In research: Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov 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: Vassil Tzankov is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1905 births, 1986 deaths, 20th-century Bulgarian zoologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Vassil Tzankov in simple terms?

Why does Vassil Tzankov 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 Vassil Tzankov?

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 Vassil Tzankov.