astronomy

Gordon P. Eaton

Gordon P. Eaton 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 Gordon P. Eaton rather than just read about it. In short: Gordon Pryor Eaton (March 9, 1929 – July 2, 2022) was an American geologist. Eaton was born in Dayton, Ohio.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Gordon Pryor Eaton (March 9, 1929 – July 2, 2022) was an American geologist. Eaton was born in Dayton, Ohio.

Life and career Dr. Eaton graduated from Wesleyan University, with high Honors, High Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi recognition, with a B.A. in Geology in 1951; received an M.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology in 1953; and a Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics in 1957 from the California Institute of Technology. At Wesleyan he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. Dr. Eaton held a number of academic positions. Eaton taught as his alma mater from 1955–1959. From 1959 to 1967, he was an assistant professor, associate professor, and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at University of California, Riverside. From 1967 to 1981, he held various positions with the U.S. Geological Survey, including Associate Chief Geologist, Reston, Virginia, and scientist-in-charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. He was successively dean of the College of Geosciences and provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University between 1981 and 1986. From 1986 to 1990, Eaton served as the 12th president of Iowa State University. On March 24, 1994, Dr. Gordon P. Eaton became the 12th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, retiring from the post in 1997. Dr. Eaton was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union. He was listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and American Men and Women of Science. He was a member of committee on the formation of the National Biological Survey, National Research Council. He also served on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources and the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council. Eaton died on July 2, 2022, in Bryan, Texas.

Awards and honors Eaton Hall on the campus of Iowa State University was named for Eaton when it opened in 2002.

Publications Epeirogeny in the Southern Rocky Mountains region; evidence and origin Geosphere, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 764–784, Oct 2008 Once a geologist, always a... the path to a university presidency... and back again The Compass, vol. 79, no. 1, pp. 27–28, 2005 Disinformation, misinformation, or myths? Geotimes, vol. 42, no. 8, pp. 5, Aug 1997 The new U. S. Geological Survey; environment, resources, and the future Environmental Geosciences, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 3–10, Mar 1997 The future of national geological surveys; global challenges, global opportunities Renewable Resources Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 14–17, 1995 A tectonic redefinition of the Southern Rocky Mountains Tectonophysics, vol. 132, no. 1-3, pp. 163–193, 15 Dec 1986 Recommendations for research in determining the probability of mineral occurrence with Robert G. Garrett. U.S. Geological Survey Circular No. 0980, pp. 278–282, 1986 Mineral abundance in the North American Cordillera American Scientist, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 368–377, Aug 1984 The Basin and Range Province; origin and tectonic significance Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, vol. 10, pp. 409–440, 1982 The 1977 eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 7, no. -4, pp. 189–210, May 1980

References

Additional sources Iowa State University - Gordon P. Eaton Papers, 1972–1991

External links Oral history interview with Gordon Eaton on 8 July 1997, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives – Session I Oral history interview with Gordon Eaton on 4 August 1997, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives – Session II Portrait of Gordon Eaton Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine from U.S. Geological Survey Museum Collection Photograph of Gordon P. Eaton from the U.S. Geological Survey (About USGS: Directors)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gordon P. Eaton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gordon P. Eaton 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 Gordon P. Eaton 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 P. Eaton 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 P. Eaton

In research: Gordon P. Eaton 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 Gordon P. Eaton 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 P. Eaton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1929 births, 2022 deaths, American geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gordon P. Eaton 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 P. Eaton in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gordon P. Eaton in simple terms?

Gordon Pryor Eaton (March 9, 1929 – July 2, 2022) was an American geologist. Eaton was born in Dayton, Ohio.

Why does Gordon P. Eaton 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 Gordon P. Eaton?

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 P. Eaton.