astronomy

George Ferdinand Becker

George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker rather than just read about it. In short: George Ferdinand Becker (1847–1919) was an American geologist. His most important work was in connection with the origin and mode of occurrence of ore deposits, especially those of the western United States.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

George Ferdinand Becker (1847–1919) was an American geologist. His most important work was in connection with the origin and mode of occurrence of ore deposits, especially those of the western United States.

Biography Becker was born in New York City, 5 January 1847. He was the son of Alexander Christian Becker and Sarah Cary Tuckerman Becker of Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1868, studied at Heidelberg, receiving the degree of Ph.D. in 1869, and, two years later, passed the final examination of the Royal School of Mines in Berlin. From 1875 until 1879 he was instructor of mining and metallurgy at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1879 he became connected with the United States Geological Survey, and later was placed in charge of the California division of geology. In 1880 he was appointed special agent of the 10th census, and in 1882 was further appointed special agent in charge of the investigation of the precious-metal industries. Becker was a leader in mining geology and geophysics, and for many years was the chief of the Division of Chemical and Physical Research in the United States Geological Survey. The investigations under his direction led to the establishment of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Becker was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1901 and the American Philosophical Society in 1907. In 1896 Becker examined the gold mines of South Africa and at the time of the Spanish–American War was detailed to serve as geologist on the staff of General Bell with the army in the Philippine Islands. Becker served as president of the Geological Society of America in 1914. He died on 20 April 1919 in Washington, D.C.

Selected publications 1880: Atomic Weight Determinations:A Digest of the Investigations published since 1814 at Google Books 1882: Geology of the Comstock Lode and the Washoe District, with Atlas George Ferdinand Becker at Google Books 1885: Geological sketches of the precious metal deposits of the western United States with Samuel Franklin Emmons. Extracted from the Tenth United States Census 1885: Geometrical Form of Volcanic Cones 1885: Notes on the Stratigraphy of California at Google Books 1885: Statistics and Technology of the Precious Metals with S. F. Emmons 1886: Cretaceous Metamorphic Rocks of California 1886: Geology of the Quicksilver Deposits of the Pacific Slope 1886: A New Law of Thermo-Chemistry 1886: A Theory of Maximum Dissipativity 1898: Reconnaissance of the Gold Fields of Southern Alaska: With Some Notes on General Geology 1909: "Relations Between Local Magnetic Disturbances and the Genesis of Petroleum" US Geological Survey Bulletin No. 401 1910: "The Age of the Earth" Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 36, No. 6, Publication 1936 1910: President McKinley's Death: A Memorial Address George Ferdinand Becker at Google Books 1916: Mechanics of the Panama Canal slides

References

External links

George F. Becker Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Florence Deakins Becker Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. "Becker, George Ferdinand" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. "Becker, George Ferdinand" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir Works by George Ferdinand Becker at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with George Ferdinand Becker

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker

In research: George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker 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: George Ferdinand Becker is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1847 births, 1919 deaths, American geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is George Ferdinand Becker in simple terms?

Why does George Ferdinand Becker 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 George Ferdinand Becker?

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 George Ferdinand Becker.