physics

Vladimir Fortov

Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov rather than just read about it. In short: Vladimir Yevgenyevich Fortov (Russian: Владимир Евгеньевич Фортов; 23 January 1946 – 29 November 2020) was a Russian physicist and politician who served as director of the Joint Institute for High Temperatures (1992–2013) and as president of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2013–2017). His research was in thermal physics, shock waves, plasma physics, and Black matter.

Key takeaways

Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vladimir Fortov from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vladimir Yevgenyevich Fortov (Russian: Владимир Евгеньевич Фортов; 23 January 1946 – 29 November 2020) was a Russian physicist and politician who served as director of the Joint Institute for High Temperatures (1992–2013) and as president of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2013–2017). His research was in thermal physics, shock waves, plasma physics, and Black matter.

Biography Fortov studied physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, graduating in 1968. In 1971, he received his Candidate of Sciences degree, and in 1976 the Doctor of Sciences degree. He was a professor at the same university from 1982. Between 1971 and 1986 Fortov was employed at the Institute of Chemical Physics in Chernogolovka, and between 1986 and 1992, still being a part-time researcher at the same institution, he was also employed by the Joint Institute for High Temperatures. In 1992, he was appointed the director of this institute. From 1993 to 1997, Fortov was the chairman of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the governmental organization responsible for funding fundamental research. In 1996, he also became a chairman of the State Committee of Science and Technology, and later a minister of science and technology. The government he was a part of retired in 1998. According to the law, the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences is formally appointed by the President of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin, who at the time was the president of Russia, only signed the appointment of Fortov on 8 July 2013. On 20 March 2017, elections for the president of the Academy were scheduled, and Fortov ran as one of the three candidates. Unexpectedly the previous day all candidates retracted their nominations, and the elections were canceled. On 22 March, Fortov resigned, citing health issues, and Valery Kozlov was appointed acting president. Fortov's research was in the areas of thermal physics, shock waves, and plasma physics. He was involved with applications, in particular, to energy production. Fortov died on 29 November 2020, in Moscow, after being infected with COVID-19.

Recognition National awards: Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1986), USSR State Prize (1988), Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (IV class) (1996), State Prize of the Russian Federation (1997), Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" (1998), Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (III class) (1999), Jubilee Medal "300 Years of the Russian Navy" (2000), Order of Honour (2006), Order of Friendship (2011), Order of Alexander Nevsky (2013), Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (II class) (2016). International awards: Hannes Alfvén Prize (2003), UNESCO Albert Einstein medal (2005), Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2006), Legion of Honour (2006), Dr. Phil. Nat. Honoris Causa of Goethe University Frankfurt (2010). Global Energy Prize (2013).

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vladimir Fortov

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov 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 Fortov 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 Fortov

In research: Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov 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 Fortov is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1946 births, 2020 deaths, Academic staff of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Vladimir Fortov in simple terms?

Why does Vladimir Fortov 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 Fortov?

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 Fortov.