astronomy

Wiesław Ptak

Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak rather than just read about it. In short: Wiesław Stanisław Ptak (16 September 1941 – 11 April 2004) was a Polish chemist, professor of chemical sciences, professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics at AGH (1993–1996). Ptak was a member of the Polish Chemical Society and the International Society for Theoretical Chemical Physics (ISTCP).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Wiesław Stanisław Ptak (16 September 1941 – 11 April 2004) was a Polish chemist, professor of chemical sciences, professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics at AGH (1993–1996). Ptak was a member of the Polish Chemical Society and the International Society for Theoretical Chemical Physics (ISTCP).

Early life On 16 September 1941, Ptak was born in Bieńczyce, which was then a suburban village near Kraków, Poland. (Bieńczyce is now one of the city's districts.) Ptak's father was one of 12 siblings born to Franciszek Ptak (1859–1936), an innkeeper, politician, and peasant movement activist, and his wife, Marcjanna (née Szafrańska) Ptak.

Education Ptak graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics-Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University. In 1963, Ptak worked at the Department of Ceramics of Silicate at the Faculty of Ceramics of the AGH Academy of Mining and Metallurgy (present day known as AGH University of Science and Technology). Ptak obtained Ph.D. in chemistry in 1968 on the basis of the dissertation Vibratory spectra in the structure of the serpentine mineral (Widma wibracyjne w strukturze minerału serpentynu) promoted by Roman Pampuch. Ptak held a six-month research internship at the University of Liège. In 1980, Ptak obtained a habilitation degree.

Career In 1991, Ptak was awarded with the title of professor of chemical sciences. In 1996, Ptak assumed the position of full professor at AGH. In 1981–85 and 1991–93, Ptak was the Vice-Dean for Didactics at the AGH and in 1993–1996 he was the Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics. From 1993 until 2004, Ptak was the head of the Department of Refractory, Precious and Technological Ceramics (renamed in 2002 to the Department of Refractory Materials and High Temperature Processes). Ptak specialized in theoretical chemistry and solid-state physics. He dealt with the theory of chemical bonding and interatomic interactions, and worked on the theoretical basis of crystallization from the gas phase. Ptak authored or co-authored more than 100 publications and several patents, one script and two monographs. He repeatedly appeared at scientific conferences by referring research results. Ptak taught silicate chemistry and spectroscopic methods for MS and doctoral students; he held lectures on physical chemistry and physics and solid chemistry for Pedagogical School students in Kraków, and lectures on the theory of chemical bonding for doctoral students. His main teaching activity was, however, courses on materials for AGH MS students.

Personal life Ptak had an incurable disease and he was active until his last months. On April 11, 2004, Ptak died in Kraków, Poland. Ptak was buried at the cemetery in Raciborowice, in the family tomb. A stone plaque placed on the grave commemorates him.

Ptak was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit and the Medal of the National Education Commission.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wiesław Ptak

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak

In research: Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak 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: Wiesław Ptak is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, 2004 deaths, Academic staff of the AGH University of Kraków, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wiesław Ptak in simple terms?

Why does Wiesław Ptak 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 Wiesław Ptak?

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 Wiesław Ptak.