physics

Xu Liangying

Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying rather than just read about it. In short: Xu Liangying (simplified Chinese: 许良英; traditional Chinese: 許良英; 3 May 1920 – 28 January 2013) was a Chinese physicist, translator and a historian and philosopher of natural science. Biography Xu was born in Linhai of Taizhou, Zhejiang on May 3 of 1920.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Xu Liangying (simplified Chinese: 许良英; traditional Chinese: 許良英; 3 May 1920 – 28 January 2013) was a Chinese physicist, translator and a historian and philosopher of natural science.

Biography Xu was born in Linhai of Taizhou, Zhejiang on May 3 of 1920. Xu graduated from the Department of Physics of Zhejiang University in 1942. Xu was a student of Shu Xingbei and Wang Ganchang. Xu was an editor of Chinese Science Bulletin (科学通报), a major Chinese science journal. Xu was treated unfairly during Mao Zedong's Anti-Rightist Campaign which started in 1957, and he was sent back to his hometown to undergo "reform through labour" (laogai). After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Xu was politically rehabilitated and returned to work in Beijing. Xu was a longtime researcher at the Institute for the History of Natural Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院自然科学史研究所).

Work Xu's main interests were in the history of science, the philosophy of science (especially of physics), and the relations between science and human society. Xu's The Collected Works of Albert Einstein (《爱因斯坦文集》) currently is the most comprehensive Chinese translational version of Albert Einstein's work.

Award Xu received the second Andrei Sakharov Prize, from the American Physical Society (APS) in 2008.

References

External links 2008 Andrei Sakharov Prize Recipient: Liangying Xu (Chinese Academy of Sciences) The New York Times: Einstein’s Man in Beijing: A Rebel With a Cause APS: APS Honors Chinese Scientist and Human Rights Activist China Digital Times: Einstein’s Man in Beijing: A Rebel With a Cause – Dennis Overbye

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xu Liangying

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying

In research: Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying 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: Xu Liangying is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1920 births, 2013 deaths, 20th-century Chinese philosophers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Xu Liangying in simple terms?

Xu Liangying (simplified Chinese: 许良英; traditional Chinese: 許良英; 3 May 1920 – 28 January 2013) was a Chinese physicist, translator and a historian and philosopher of natural science. Biography Xu was born in Linhai of Taizhou, Zhejiang on May 3 of 1920.

Why does Xu Liangying 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 Xu Liangying?

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 Xu Liangying.