physics

Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik

Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik is a physics 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik rather than just read about it. In short: Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik (Russian: Владимир Александрович Копцик; 26 February 1924 – 2 April 2005) was a Soviet crystallographer and physicist. In 1966 Koptsik was the first to publish the complete atlas of all 1651 antisymmetry space groups.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik (Russian: Владимир Александрович Копцик; 26 February 1924 – 2 April 2005) was a Soviet crystallographer and physicist. In 1966 Koptsik was the first to publish the complete atlas of all 1651 antisymmetry space groups. In 1972 he published Symmetry in Science and Art with extensive coverage of dichromatic and polychromatic symmetry.

Life

Career Koptsik was born on 26 February 1924 in Ivanovo. In 1941-1944 he worked as a turner in a defence plant in Moscow. Koptsik graduated from Moscow State University in 1949. He then began post-graduate work under the supervision of A.V. Shubnikov and submitted his candidate's dissertation in 1953. In 1953 Koptsik was hired as an assistant to Shubnikov in the new department of Crystallography and Crystal Physics at MSU. He progressed through various positions, earning his doctorate in 1963, becoming full professor in 1967, and head of department from 1968 to 1974 succeeding Shubnikov. Koptsik is known for his contributions to the physics of electrically and magnetically ordered crystals, the tensor representation of anisotropic media, the theory of crystal symmetry, and the symmetry aspects of structural phase transitions. From 1966 Koptsik was a member of the Committee on International Crystallographic Tables of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr); in 1983 he became a member of the subcommittee on nomenclature of n-dimensional crystallography.

Works The majority of Koptsik's works were published in Russian. Books published by Koptsik:

Shubnikov groups: handbook on the symmetry and physical properties of crystal structures (1966) Symmetry in Science and Art (1972); English translation (1974) Problem exercises for crystal physics (1982 and 1988) Koptsik published 300 academic papers. Selected papers available in English:

Polymorphic phase transitions and symmetry (1957) A general sketch of the development of the theory of symmetry and its applications in physical crystallography over the last 50 years (1968) Views of Aleksei Vasil'evich Shubnikov on crystallography and crystal physics (on the ninetieth anniversary of his birth) (1977) Symmetry principle in physics (1983) Generalized symmetry in crystal physics (1988) Symmetry bases. The contemporary symmetry theory in solids (1994)

Honours and awards E. S. Fedorov Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the theory of symmetry (1973) Honoured Professor of Moscow State University (1996) Honoured Scientist of the Russian Federation (1999)

References

Illustrations

Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik

In research: Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik appears in physics 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik 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: Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1924 births, 2005 deaths, Russian crystallographers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik in simple terms?

Why does Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik?

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 Vladimir Alexandrovich Koptsik.