physics

Jacob Israelachvili

Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili rather than just read about it. In short: Jacob Nissim Israelachvili, (Hebrew: יעקב ניסים ישראלכבילי; 19 August 1944 – 20 September 2018) was an Israeli physicist who was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He made contributions in understanding the behavior of matter at small length scales.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Jacob Nissim Israelachvili, (Hebrew: יעקב ניסים ישראלכבילי; 19 August 1944 – 20 September 2018) was an Israeli physicist who was a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He made contributions in understanding the behavior of matter at small length scales.

Personal life He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and sent to an English boarding school at the age of 7. After completing his secondary education he returned to Israel to carry out his military service before moving back to England to study the Natural Sciences Tripos at the University of Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Christ's College, Cambridge in 1972 under the supervision of David Tabor. He then became a Research Fellow at the Biophysics Institute, Stockholm University and at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden until 1974. He moved to Australia to take a post as fellow in the Research School of Physical Science and the Research School of Biological Sciences at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University in Canberra from 1974 to 1977. He was then appointed senior fellow in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Department of Neurobiology at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University in Canberra. He relocated to California to join UCSB in 1986, where he worked till his death on 20 September 2018.

Research His research has involved study of molecular and interfacial forces. His work is applicable to a wide range of industrial and fundamental science problems. In particular, he has contributed significantly to the understanding of colloidal dispersions, biological systems, and polymer engineering applications. He has studied interfacial phenomena, the physics of thin films, and fundamental questions in rheology and tribology of surfaces. Israelachvili has developed numerous techniques for the static and dynamic measurement of material and molecular properties of vapors, liquids, and surfaces. In particular, he pioneered a sensitive interfacial force-sensing technique known as the surface forces apparatus (SFA). This instrument involves carefully approaching two surfaces (usually immersed in a solvent, such as water), and measuring the force of attraction and repulsion between them. Using piezoelectric positional movement and optical interferometry for position sensing, this instrument can resolve distances to within 0.1 nanometer, and forces at the 10−8 N level. This technique is similar to measuring the force of interaction between an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a sample surface, except that the specialized SFA can measure much longer-range forces and is intended for surface-surface interaction measurements (as opposed to tip-surface or molecule-surface measurements). The results of SFA experiments can be used to characterize the nature of intermolecular potentials and other molecular properties. Israelachvili is also well known as the author of the textbook "Intermolecular and Surface Forces," published by Academic Press. This authoritative book describes the fundamental concepts and equations applicable to all intermolecular and interfacial science disciplines. Israelachvili was also founder of SurForce, LLC. The company specializes in researching surface force interactions and producing SFA systems.[1]

Appointments, honors and awards Tribology Gold Medal, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (2013) ACS National Award in Colloid and Surface Chemistry (2009) Named by the AICHE as one of the “One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era (2008) Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering – University of South Florida (2007) Honorary Degree of Doctor sc. h.c. - ETH Zurich (2006) Schlumberger Visiting Professor – University of Oxford, UK (2005) MRS Medal, awarded for recent work on adhesion and friction (2004) Elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in the area of Engineering Science (2004) Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in the area of Biological Physics (2004) Adhesion Society Award for “excellence in adhesion science (2003) Fellow of the Royal Society (1988) Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture (1986) David Syme Research Prize (1983) Elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (1982) Pawsey Medal (1977)

References

"Israelachvili, Jacob Nissim (1944 - )". Encyclopaedia of Australian Science. Retrieved 1 September 2015.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jacob Israelachvili

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili

In research: Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili 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: Jacob Israelachvili is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1944 births, 2018 deaths, Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Jacob Israelachvili in simple terms?

Why does Jacob Israelachvili 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 Jacob Israelachvili?

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 Jacob Israelachvili.