astronomy

Wilfrid Hodges

Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges rather than just read about it. In short: Wilfrid Augustine Hodges (born 27 May 1941) is a British mathematician and logician known for his work in model theory. Life Hodges attended New College, Oxford (1959–65), where he received degrees in both Literae Humaniores and (Christianic) Theology.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Wilfrid Augustine Hodges (born 27 May 1941) is a British mathematician and logician known for his work in model theory.

Life Hodges attended New College, Oxford (1959–65), where he received degrees in both Literae Humaniores and (Christianic) Theology. In 1970 he was awarded a doctorate for a thesis in Logic. He lectured in both Philosophy and Mathematics at Bedford College, University of London. He has held visiting appointments in the department of philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles and in the department of mathematics at University of Colorado. Hodges was Professor of Mathematics at Queen Mary College, University of London from 1987 to 2006 and is the author of books on logic.

Honors and awards Hodges was President of the British Logic Colloquium, of the European Association for Logic, Language and Information and of the Division of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science. In 2009 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.

Writing style Hodges' books are written in an informal style. The "Notes on Notation" in his book "Model theory" end with the following characteristic sentence:

'I' means I, 'we' means we. When this 780-page book appeared in 1993, it became one of the standard textbooks on model theory. Due to its success an abbreviated version (but with a new chapter on stability theory) was published as a paperback.

Bibliography Only first editions are listed.

— (1977). Logic – An Introduction to Elementary Logic. Penguin Books. — (1985). Building Models by Games. London Mathematical Society Student Texts. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521268974. — (1993). Model Theory. Encyclopedia of Mathematics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30442-3. LCCN 91-25082. — (1997). A Shorter Model Theory. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58713-1. Chiswell, Ian; — (2007). Mathematical Logic. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-921562-1.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilfrid Hodges

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges

In research: Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges 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: Wilfrid Hodges is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, 20th-century British mathematicians, 20th-century British philosophers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilfrid Hodges in simple terms?

Wilfrid Augustine Hodges (born 27 May 1941) is a British mathematician and logician known for his work in model theory. Life Hodges attended New College, Oxford (1959–65), where he received degrees in both Literae Humaniores and (Christianic) Theology.

Why does Wilfrid Hodges 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 Wilfrid Hodges?

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 Wilfrid Hodges.