chemistry

James Freeman Dana

James Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana rather than just read about it. In short: James Freeman Dana (born in Amherst, New Hampshire, 23 September 1793; died in New York City, 14 April 1827) was an American chemist. Biography He graduated from Harvard in 1813, and from the medical school in 1817.

Key takeaways

James Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Freeman Dana from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Freeman Dana (born in Amherst, New Hampshire, 23 September 1793; died in New York City, 14 April 1827) was an American chemist.

Biography He graduated from Harvard in 1813, and from the medical school in 1817. He studied with Dr. John Gorham, and developed such ability that in 1815 he was selected by the authorities of Harvard to procure for the chemical laboratory a new outfit of apparatus. For this purpose, he visited London, where for six months he worked in the laboratory of Friedrich Christian Accum. On his return to the United States he settled in Cambridge, where he practised medicine and was appointed assistant to the chair in chemistry. In 1817 he was invited to lecture on chemistry at Dartmouth, and in 1820 became the first professor of chemistry and mineralogy there. He was chosen professor of chemistry in the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1825, and continued as such until his death.

Works While a student in Cambridge, he received the Boylston Prize for a dissertation on the "Tests for Arsenic," and again in 1817 received the same prize for an essay on the "Composition of Oxymuriatic Acid." He contributed numerous scientific memoirs to Silliman's American Journal of Science and to the Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History. His larger works are Outlines of Mineralogy and Geology of Boston and its Vicinity (Boston, 1818), coauthored with his brother Samuel Luther Dana, and Epitome of Chemical Philosophy (Concord, New Hampshire, 1825).

Notes

References This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Dana, Joseph" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton. The Mineralogical Record

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Freeman Dana

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana

In research: James Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1793 births, 1827 deaths, American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Freeman Dana 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 James Freeman Dana in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James Freeman Dana 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 James Freeman Dana in simple terms?

James Freeman Dana (born in Amherst, New Hampshire, 23 September 1793; died in New York City, 14 April 1827) was an American chemist. Biography He graduated from Harvard in 1813, and from the medical school in 1817.

Why does James Freeman Dana 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 Freeman Dana?

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 Freeman Dana.