physics

Herrick L. Johnston

Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston rather than just read about it. In short: Herrick Lee Johnston (29 March 1898 – 6 October 1965) was an American scientist specializing in cryogenics, born in Jacksonville, Ohio. University of California Johnston was a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley 1925-28 and an associate of cryogenics pioneer William Giauque when his experiments proved the existence of oxygen isotopes with atomic masses 17 and 18.

Key takeaways

Herrick L. Johnston belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Connect Herrick L. Johnston to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Herrick L. Johnston from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Herrick Lee Johnston (29 March 1898 – 6 October 1965) was an American scientist specializing in cryogenics, born in Jacksonville, Ohio.

University of California Johnston was a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley 1925-28 and an associate of cryogenics pioneer William Giauque when his experiments proved the existence of oxygen isotopes with atomic masses 17 and 18. Previously it had been believed that oxygen only existed as 16O; as atomic masses of other elements were calculated on the basis of 16.0 not 16.0035, this was a significant discovery. The work, published in 1929, also led to the discovery in 1932 of heavy hydrogen (deuterium) by Harold C Urey. Giauque was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work, and did not forget to recognize Johnston's contribution.

Ohio State University Johnston was appointed assistant professor at Ohio State University in 1929 with plans to create a cryogenics laboratory to rival that at Berkeley, but sufficient funds were not available until 1939, boosted by federal money earmarked for war-related research, notably the Manhattan Project, for which he was a director from 1942 to 1946. A new building (titled War Research Building) was completed around the end of 1942 and the first liquid hydrogen was produced in February 1943. Johnston had a reputation for working himself and his staff hard, especially under tight deadlines. He was impatient with bureaucracy, and frequently ran into trouble with his propensity to cut corners. Despite, or perhaps because of these characteristics, he was admired by students and inspired great loyalty. One of his researchers, engineer Gwynne A Wright, remained with him for 16 years. One of his PhD students, Paul J Flory, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1974, cited Johnston's 'boundless zeal' as an inspiration. He was appointed associate professor 1933–38, then professor 1938–54. During this time he also saw work at the University of Göttingen, Germany (1933) and General Electric laboratories at Schenectady, NY (1937).

Business Johnston saw the US Government's decision to pursue research on a fission weapon (hydrogen bomb) as an opportunity to utilise his expertise in volume production, storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen (and deuterium). In 1952 he founded his own company H L Johnston Company Inc. to produce deuterium for the first 'thermonuclear device' which was successfully tested at Eniwetok Atoll on 1 November 1952. His company developed huge mobile refrigerated dewars for transporting bulk liquid hydrogen and even larger mobile plants for generating liquid hydrogen, for the US Air Force. He remained on the staff at Ohio State University all this time, but with a greatly reduced presence.

Personal life Johnston married Margaret Vanderbilt (1901-1996) on 14 June 1923. They had two sons, William Vanderbilt and Robert Edgar, and a daughter, Margaret Louise.

Recognition In 1970 the War Research Building at Ohio State University was renamed Johnston Laboratory in his honour.

Notes

Sources Who's Who in Science (Marquis Who's Who Inc, Chicago Ill. 1968) ISBN 0-8379-1001-3

External links https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/ch2-2.htm https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/ch4-2.htm

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Herrick L. Johnston

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston

In research: Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston 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: Herrick L. Johnston is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1898 births, 1965 deaths, 20th-century American businesspeople, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Herrick L. Johnston 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Herrick L. Johnston in simple terms?

Herrick Lee Johnston (29 March 1898 – 6 October 1965) was an American scientist specializing in cryogenics, born in Jacksonville, Ohio. University of California Johnston was a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley 1925-28 and an associate of cryogenics pioneer William Giauque when…

Why does Herrick L. Johnston 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 Herrick L. Johnston?

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 Herrick L. Johnston.