earth science

Gould's razor shell

Gould's razor shell is a earth science 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 Gould's razor shell rather than just read about it. In short: Gould's razor shell (Solen strictus) is a bivalve mollusc of the family Solenidae. It is common in Japan in sandy coastal zones of the western, southern and northeastern coasts, and also in South Korea, China and Taiwan.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Gould's razor shell (Solen strictus) is a bivalve mollusc of the family Solenidae. It is common in Japan in sandy coastal zones of the western, southern and northeastern coasts, and also in South Korea, China and Taiwan. It lives on the sandy littoral zone, preferring the depth of about 20–50 cm. In Weifang Cadong Province, China, researches have found that living Solen strictus weighs an average of 12 g and measures to a length of 10 cm.

See also Ensis directus (Atlantic jackknife clam)

References

Further reading Suzuki, Tomohiko; Sugimura, Nobuhiro; Taniguchi, Tomoyuki; Unemi, Yukiko; Murata, Takami; Hayashida, Mami; Yokouchi, Kohei; Uda, Kohji; Furukohri, Takahiro (October 2002). "Two-domain arginine kinases from the clams Solen strictus and Corbicula japonica: exceptional amino acid replacement of the functionally important D62 by G". The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 34 (10): 1221–1229. doi:10.1016/S1357-2725(02)00050-X. Dong, Zhaohui; Bi, Shusheng; Liu, Tian (5 October 2021). "Research on Whipping and Jetting Combined Swimming Behavior of Solen strictus Gould". Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 9 (10): 1086. Bibcode:2021JMSE....9.1086D. doi:10.3390/jmse9101086. 정의영; 김형배; 이택열 (1986). "맛조개, Solen strictus와 붉은맛, Solen gordonis의 생식년주기" [Annual Reprodutive Cycle of the Jackknife Clams, Solen strictus and Solen gordonis]. 한국수산과학회지 [Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences] (in Korean). 19 (6): 563–574. 황갑수; 신형선; 김강주; 여성구; 김진삼 (2001). "서해 중부연안 갯벌에서의 저질 및 패류 (Solen Strictus Gould) 중 중금속 분포특성" [Concentration and Distribution of Heavy Metals in Sediments and Bivalves (Solen Strictus Gould) from Tidal Flats along the Mid-Western Coast, Korea]. 한국환경보건학회지 [Journal of Environmental Health Sciences] (in Korean). 27 (4): 25–34.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gould's razor shell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gould's razor shell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, 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 Gould's razor shell 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 Gould's razor shell 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 Gould's razor shell

In research: Gould's razor shell appears in earth science 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 Gould's razor shell 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: Gould's razor shell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bivalve stubs, Bivalves described in 1861, Bivalves of Asia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gould's razor shell 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 Gould's razor shell in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Gould's razor shell in simple terms?

Why does Gould's razor shell matter?

Because it connects several earth science 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 Gould's razor shell?

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 Gould's razor shell.