engineering

Zhang Guangdou

Zhang Guangdou is a engineering 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 Zhang Guangdou rather than just read about it. In short: Zhang Guangdou (Chinese: 张光斗; Wade–Giles: Chang Kuang-tou; 1 May 1912 – 21 June 2013) was a Chinese hydraulic engineer. He was a specialist in hydraulic engineering, professor and vice president of Tsinghua University, and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Zhang Guangdou (Chinese: 张光斗; Wade–Giles: Chang Kuang-tou; 1 May 1912 – 21 June 2013) was a Chinese hydraulic engineer. He was a specialist in hydraulic engineering, professor and vice president of Tsinghua University, and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Biography Zhang graduated from National Chiao Tung University (predecessor of now Shanghai Jiao Tong University) in 1934, obtained his master's degree in Civil Engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1936, and a master's degree in engineering mechanics from Harvard University in 1937. Zhang was the chief designer of the Miyun Reservoir and Yuzixi powerplant. He was also involved in the design of many major hydraulic and hydropower projects, including Sanmenxia, Danjiangkou, Gezhouba, Ertan, Geheyan, Xiaolangdi, and the Three Gorges Dam. Zhang received numerous awards, including the Haas International Award from UC Berkeley (1981), the National Award for Technology Advancement (2nd Prize, 1985), the Ho Leung Ho Lee Technology Advancement Award (1995), and the Technology Achievement Award from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (1996). He was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1994. He was also elected as a foreign member of Mexico National Academy of Engineering in 1981.

Bibliography Zhang, Guangdou, ed. (2000). CFRD 2000 : proceedings : International Symposium on Concrete Faced Rockfill Dams : 18 September, 2000, Beijing, China. et al. Beijing: Organizing Committee of 20th Congress ICOLD. OCLC 660241666. Clough, Ray W; Zhang, Guangdou, eds. (June 1987). Earthquake behavior of arch dams : proceedings of the China-US workshop, Beijing, China, June 1987 (1st ed.). Beijing: International Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-0-08-037042-2. OCLC 555740856. Zhang, Guangdou; et al. (April 1986). "Dynamic field measurement and analysis of Quanshui Arch Dam" (PDF). Scientia Sinica. Series B, Chemical, Biological, Agricultural, Medical & Earth Sciences. 29 (4). Beijing, China: Science Press: 423–438. ISSN 0253-5823. OCLC 25834959. Retrieved April 16, 2011. Zhang, Guangdou (April 1973). Construction of dams for water conservancy in the People's Republic of China. et al. Beijing. OCLC 57717690.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Zhang Guangdou

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Zhang Guangdou claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, 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 Zhang Guangdou 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 Zhang Guangdou 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 Zhang Guangdou

In research: Zhang Guangdou appears in engineering 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 Zhang Guangdou 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: Zhang Guangdou is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1912 births, 2013 deaths, Academic staff of Tsinghua University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Zhang Guangdou 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Zhang Guangdou” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Zhang Guangdou in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Zhang Guangdou in simple terms?

Why does Zhang Guangdou matter?

Because it connects several engineering 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 Zhang Guangdou?

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 Zhang Guangdou.