Editing Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (section)

===Philosophy of systematization===

He wrote that his scientific research was motivated by his desire to participate in the progress of different subjects in science to the best of his ability, and that the prime motive underlying his work was ''systematization''. "What a scientist tries to do essentially is to select a certain domain, a certain aspect, or a certain detail, and see if that takes its appropriate place in a general scheme which has form and coherence; and, if not, to seek further information which would help him to do that".<ref>''The Works of the Mind'', p.176, edited by Robert B. Heywood, University of Chicago Press, 1947.</ref>

Chandrasekhar developed a unique style of mastering several fields of physics and astrophysics; consequently, his working life can be divided into distinct periods. He would exhaustively study a specific area, publish several papers in it and then write a book summarizing the major concepts in the field. He would then move on to another field for the next decade and repeat the pattern. Thus he studied [[stellar structure]], including the theory of [[white dwarfs]], during the years 1929 to 1939, and subsequently focused on [[stellar dynamics]], theory of [[Brownian motion]] from 1939 to 1943. Next, he concentrated on the theory of [[radiative transfer]] and the quantum theory of the [[hydrogen anion|negative ion of hydrogen]] from 1943 to 1950. This was followed by sustained work on [[turbulence]] and hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability from 1950 to 1961. In the 1960s, he studied both the equilibrium and the stability of ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium, and general relativity. During the period, 1971 to 1983 he studied the mathematical theory of [[black holes]], and, finally, during the late 80s, he worked on the theory of colliding [[gravitational waves]].<ref name = standrews/>