chemistry

James Burgess Readman

James Burgess Readman is a chemistry 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 James Burgess Readman rather than just read about it. In short: Dr James Burgess Readman FRSE FCS FSSA (c.1850–April 1927) was a Scottish chemist who invented an electric furnace for creating phosphorus invented in 1888 and patented in 1889. Life He was born in Glasgow the son of George Readman, a bank manager with the Clydesdale Bank.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Dr James Burgess Readman FRSE FCS FSSA (c.1850–April 1927) was a Scottish chemist who invented an electric furnace for creating phosphorus invented in 1888 and patented in 1889.

Life He was born in Glasgow the son of George Readman, a bank manager with the Clydesdale Bank. The family lived at 16 Queens Crescent in Glasgow, an attractive terraced townhouse in the north-west of the city. He was educated at Glasgow Academy. He then studied science at the University of Edinburgh graduating with a BSc and MD in 1888. In 1871 he is listed as a creditor in relation to the Port Dundas Oil Company. In 1879 he is living with his older brother George Readman, an advocate at 20 Great Stuart Street on the Moray Estate in west Edinburgh. In 1883 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were James Robertson, Baron Robertson, James King, William Wallace and Alexander Crum Brown. He was then still living with his brother (but separately listed) at 9 Moray Place, a large townhouse on the Moray Estate. In the late 1890s he had offices at 175 Buchanan Street in Glasgow and was running the Forth and Clyde Chemical works from Kirkintilloch. In 1910 he is described as an "analytical and consulting chemist" and is operating from 4 Lindsay Place in Leith. He died in Bradford-on-Avon in April 1927.

Publications An Account of the Manufacture of Phosphorus (1890)

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Burgess Readman

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

In research: James Burgess Readman appears in chemistry 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 James Burgess Readman 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: James Burgess Readman is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1927 deaths, Alumni of the University of Edinburgh, British chemist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Burgess Readman 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 James Burgess Readman in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is James Burgess Readman in simple terms?

Dr James Burgess Readman FRSE FCS FSSA (c.1850–April 1927) was a Scottish chemist who invented an electric furnace for creating phosphorus invented in 1888 and patented in 1889. Life He was born in Glasgow the son of George Readman, a bank manager with the Clydesdale Bank.

Why does James Burgess Readman matter?

Because it connects several chemistry 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 James Burgess Readman?

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 James Burgess Readman.