earth science

James M. Harrison

James M. Harrison is a earth 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 James M. Harrison rather than just read about it. In short: James Merritt Harrison, (September 20, 1915 – July 6, 1990) was a Canadian scientist and public servant. He was the Director of the Geological Survey of Canada from 1956 to 1964, and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

James Merritt Harrison, (September 20, 1915 – July 6, 1990) was a Canadian scientist and public servant. He was the Director of the Geological Survey of Canada from 1956 to 1964, and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.

Biography Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he obtained his B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1935. He received his M.A. in 1941 and Ph.D. in 1943 from Queen's University. He was one of the founders of the Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and was its first President from 1961 to 1964. Between 1966 and 1968, he was President of the International Council for Science (ICSU). In 1969, Harrison was awarded the Logan Medal, the Geological Association of Canada's highest honour. From January 1973 to March 1976, he was the Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris. In 1971, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

References Canadian Mining Hall of Fame citation James Merritt Harrison Obituary Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James M. Harrison

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

In research: James M. Harrison appears in earth 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 James M. Harrison 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 M. Harrison is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1915 births, 1990 deaths, 20th-century Canadian geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James M. Harrison 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 M. Harrison in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is James M. Harrison in simple terms?

Why does James M. Harrison matter?

Because it connects several earth 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 James M. Harrison?

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 M. Harrison.