physics

Gordon Ferrie Hull

Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull rather than just read about it. In short: Gordon Ferrie Hull (October 7, 1870 in Garnet, Ontario, Canada – October 7, 1956) was a Canadian-American mathematician, teacher and physicist, especially known for the experimental detection of the radiation pressure exerted by light which he achieved in 1903. Life Hull began his career in 1890-1891 as a teacher of mathematics and science at Hamilton Collegiate Institute, Ontario.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Gordon Ferrie Hull (October 7, 1870 in Garnet, Ontario, Canada – October 7, 1956) was a Canadian-American mathematician, teacher and physicist, especially known for the experimental detection of the radiation pressure exerted by light which he achieved in 1903.

Life Hull began his career in 1890-1891 as a teacher of mathematics and science at Hamilton Collegiate Institute, Ontario. He attended Toronto University where he obtained his bachelor's degree in 1892 and became a Fellow in physics, University of Toronto 1892-1895 . Hull earned his 1897 doctorate of physics at the University of Chicago and was later a professor of physics there at Colby College. Thereafter (1899–1940), he taught physics at Dartmouth College. In addition, he had a research position at Cambridge University (1905–1906) and taught physics at Columbia University (1909–1915). As well as his academic career he was conscripted into the army in both World War I (1918–1919) and World War II (1941–1944) as major, in the United States Army Ordnance Department. He married Wilhelmine Brandt on September 5, 1911. He had one son, Gordon Ferrie Hull, Jr. He is especially famous for his 1903 experiment conducted with Ernest Fox Nichols in which they were the first to demonstrate the radiation pressure exerted by a beam of light. The apparatus is now known as the Nichols radiometer. Much of this apparatus is now in the Smithsonian, thanks to the generosity of Gordon F. Hull, Jr. Hull died on October 7, 1956, his 86th birthday.

Publications Survey of Modern Physics (1936) Elementary Modern Physics (1948)

Bibliography Nichols, E. F.; Hull, GF (1903). About Radiation pressure. Annalen der Physik. pp. 225–263.

References Schagrin, Morton L. (1974). "Early Observations and Calculations on Light Pressure". American Journal of Physics. 42 (11): 927–940. Bibcode:1974AmJPh..42..927S. doi:10.1119/1.1987899.

External links Photo of Gordon Ferrie Hull at Life magazine, 1937 The Papers of Gordon Ferrie Hull at Dartmouth College Library

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gordon Ferrie Hull

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull

In research: Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull 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: Gordon Ferrie Hull is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1870 births, 1956 deaths, American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gordon Ferrie Hull in simple terms?

Why does Gordon Ferrie Hull 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 Gordon Ferrie Hull?

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 Gordon Ferrie Hull.