science

Jack 2

Jack 2 is a 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 Jack 2 rather than just read about it. In short: Jack 2 is a test well in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Walker Ridge Block 758) that successfully extracted oil from the Paleogene area of the Gulf in the second quarter of 2006. The field owners Chevron, Devon Energy and Norway's Statoil drilled to about 20,000 feet (6,100 m) below the sea floor, the wellhead being 7,000 feet (2,100 m) below sea-level, for a total depth of 28,125 feet.

Key takeaways

Jack 2 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jack 2 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jack 2 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jack 2 is a test well in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Walker Ridge Block 758) that successfully extracted oil from the Paleogene area of the Gulf in the second quarter of 2006. The field owners Chevron, Devon Energy and Norway's Statoil drilled to about 20,000 feet (6,100 m) below the sea floor, the wellhead being 7,000 feet (2,100 m) below sea-level, for a total depth of 28,125 feet. Oil flowed at more than 6,000 barrels (950 m3) per day. At the time, it was the deepest ever successful test well in the Gulf of Mexico to date. Jack 2 is a joint venture between Chevron Corporation (50%), Devon Energy (25%), and StatoilHydro (25%). Most oil in the Gulf of Mexico is found on a continental shelf in less than 1,700 feet (520 m) of water. Oil was known to exist in the deeper waters of the Gulf between 5,000 and 10,000 feet (1,500 and 3,000 m), but it had yet to be proven that enough could be extracted to make the venture economically successful. The Jack 2 well is 175 miles (282 km) offshore in more than 7,000 feet (2,100 m) of water. The oil was extracted after drilling through more than 20,000 feet (6,100 m) of rock beneath the ocean floor. Jack 2 proved the existence of a new play in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The estimated oil reserves the play could contain range between 3 billion barrels (480,000,000 m3) and 15 billion barrels (2.4×109 m3). News of the find was credited for contributing to a drop in crude oil prices. The maximum estimate of 15 billion barrels (2.4×109 m3) represents half of the total current estimate of U.S. reserves, equal to slightly less than two years of U.S. consumption at 2001 levels.

References

See also Offshore oil and gas in the US Gulf of Mexico

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jack 2

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jack 2 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In 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 Jack 2 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 Jack 2 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 Jack 2

In research: Jack 2 appears in 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 Jack 2 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: Jack 2 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chevron Corporation oil and gas fields, Equinor oil and gas fields, Gulf of Mexico oil fields of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jack 2 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Jack 2 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jack 2 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 Jack 2 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jack 2 in simple terms?

Why does Jack 2 matter?

Because it connects several 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 Jack 2?

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 Jack 2.