astronomy

Harry Thode

Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode rather than just read about it. In short: Henry George Thode (September 10, 1910 – March 22, 1997) was a Canadian geochemist, nuclear chemist, and academic administrator. He was president and vice-chancellor of McMaster University from 1961 to 1972.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Henry George Thode (September 10, 1910 – March 22, 1997) was a Canadian geochemist, nuclear chemist, and academic administrator. He was president and vice-chancellor of McMaster University from 1961 to 1972. Thode built a cyclotron capable of making radioactive isotopes and, along with C. H. Jaimet, investigated the use of radioactive iodine in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease in humans, the first medical application of radioactive iodine in Canada. Born in Dundurn, Saskatchewan, he received his BSc in 1930 and his MSc in 1932 from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1934, he received his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago. He joined McMaster University in 1939 as an associate professor of chemistry, became a full professor in 1944; was named director of research in 1947; appointed head of the chemistry department from 1948 to 1952; became principal of Hamilton College in 1949; appointed vice-president in 1957; and in 1961 became president and vice chancellor. He retired as president in 1972. Thode died in 1997 in Dundas, Ontario.

Honours He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to atomic research during World War II. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1943 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1954. In 1967 he was the first scientist to be made a Companion of the Order of Canada. The science and engineering library at McMaster University is named after him.

References

Further reading Manuel Zack; Alvin A. Lee; Lawrence Martin (2003). Harry Thode: Scientist and Builder at McMaster University. McMaster University Press. ISBN 1-894088-38-7. "Dr. Henry Thode". Canadian Nuclear Society. Archived from the original on 2004-12-14. Retrieved 2005-03-11. "Thode, Henry George (1910–97)". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2009-02-13. "Memorial to Henry G. Thode 1910–1997" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-01.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Harry Thode

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode

In research: Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode 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: Harry Thode is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1910 births, 1997 deaths, 20th-century Canadian chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Harry Thode in simple terms?

Why does Harry Thode 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 Harry Thode?

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 Harry Thode.