chemistry

John D. Ferry

John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry rather than just read about it. In short: John Douglass Ferry (May 4, 1912 – October 18, 2002) was a Canadian-born American chemist and biochemist noted for development of surgical products from blood plasma and for studies of the chemistry of large molecules. Along with Williams and Landel, Ferry co-authored the work on time-temperature superposition in which the now famous WLF equation first appeared.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Douglass Ferry (May 4, 1912 – October 18, 2002) was a Canadian-born American chemist and biochemist noted for development of surgical products from blood plasma and for studies of the chemistry of large molecules. Along with Williams and Landel, Ferry co-authored the work on time-temperature superposition in which the now famous WLF equation first appeared. The National Academy of Sciences called Ferry "a towering figure in polymer science". The University of Wisconsin said that he was "undoubtedly the most widely recognized research pioneer in the study of motional dynamics in macromolecular systems by viscoelastic techniques".

Education Ferry was born in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada, and attended a one-room school in Murray, Idaho. At age 19, Ferry received his bachelor of arts degree at Stanford University in 1932. Three years later, he received his Ph.D at Stanford and became a research assistant at Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station.

Career In 1937, Ferry was an instructor of biochemical sciences at Harvard University. He was also a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard. He became an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1946 and was made a full professor the following year. Ferry was chairman of the Department of Chemistry at University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1959 to 1967. He was a founding member of the Rheology Research Center at Wisconsin. In 1973 Ferry was a Farrington Daniels Research Professor.

Professional memberships He was affiliated with the following organizations:

National Academy of Sciences member Chairman of the Committee on Macromolecular Chemistry of the National Research Council President of the Society of Rheology

Awards Ferry received the following notable awards and distinctions:

Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry of the American Chemical Society Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology Colloid Chemistry Award of the American Chemical Society High Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society Colwyn medal in 1971 of the Institution of the Rubber Industry Witco Award in Polymer Chemistry of the American Chemical Society Technical Award of the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers Charles Goodyear Medal of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John D. Ferry

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry

In research: John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry 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: John D. Ferry is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1912 births, 2002 deaths, 20th-century American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John D. Ferry in simple terms?

Why does John D. Ferry 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 John D. Ferry?

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 John D. Ferry.