astronomy

John Ebling

John Ebling is a astronomy 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 Ebling rather than just read about it. In short: Francis John Govier Ebling (21 June 1918 – 29 May 1992), generally known as John Ebling, was Professor of Zoology at the University of Sheffield from 1968 to 1983, and subsequently emeritus Professor of Dermatology 1983–1992. He is best known as a researcher in marine biology who helped to establish Lough Hyne as a field station, and is one of the lead characters in Reflections on a Summer Sea, a history of this fac…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Francis John Govier Ebling (21 June 1918 – 29 May 1992), generally known as John Ebling, was Professor of Zoology at the University of Sheffield from 1968 to 1983, and subsequently emeritus Professor of Dermatology 1983–1992. He is best known as a researcher in marine biology who helped to establish Lough Hyne as a field station, and is one of the lead characters in Reflections on a Summer Sea, a history of this facility. He had a second research interest on sebaceous gland function and skin. This dominated in later life, and he was editor of the 3rd to 5th editions of the Textbook of Dermatology. He also authored and edited a number of other books on biology and endocrinology including The Glands Inside Us and Population Control by Social Behaviour.

Early life John Ebling was educated at the Colston's School in Bristol, and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Bristol.

Career John Ebling graduated in Zoology in 1940 at the University of Bristol, where his interest in marine biology was stimulated by Sir Maurice Yonge. Whilst studying for a PhD also at Bristol, his interest in Endocrinology was stimulated by Dr Max Reiss at the Burden Neurological Institute. His first academic appointment was at the University of Hull in 1948, but he moved to the University of Sheffield soon after to join a rapidly expanding group of comparative endocrinologists led by Ian Chester-Jones. He was a founding member of the Institute of Biology (later to become the Society of Biology) and of the Society for Endocrinology, and served as the treasurer (1961–1966). In 1968 he was appointed to a personal chair in the Department of Zoology which he held until 1982. On retirement he was appointed as an emeritus Professor in the Department of Dermatology.

Personal life John Ebling married Erika Graetzer (born 17 May 1925) on 5 September 1948 at St Mary Redcliffe Bristol. He had a daughter (Nicola, born 23 May 1955) and a son (Francis John Peter, born 7 November 1959). His son also entered academia and was appointed Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Nottingham in 2007, and served as chair of the British Society for Neuroendocrinology 2006–2010.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Ebling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Ebling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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 Ebling 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 Ebling 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 Ebling

In research: John Ebling appears in astronomy 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 Ebling 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 Ebling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1918 births, 1992 deaths, 20th-century British zoologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Ebling 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 Ebling in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John Ebling in simple terms?

Why does John Ebling matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Ebling?

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 Ebling.