earth science

John Hailstone

John Hailstone 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 John Hailstone rather than just read about it. In short: John Hailstone (13 December 1759 – 9 June 1847) was an English geologist. Biography Early life Hailstone was born at Hoxton, Middlesex on 13 December 1759 and at an early age he was placed under the care of a maternal uncle at York, and was sent to Beverley school in the East Riding.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Hailstone (13 December 1759 – 9 June 1847) was an English geologist.

Biography

Early life Hailstone was born at Hoxton, Middlesex on 13 December 1759 and at an early age he was placed under the care of a maternal uncle at York, and was sent to Beverley school in the East Riding. Samuel Hailstone, the botanist, was a younger brother. John went to Cambridge, entering first at Catharine Hall, and afterwards at Trinity College, and was second wrangler and second in the Smith's Prize of his year (1782). He was second in both competitions to James Wood who became master of Saint John's, and Dean of Ely.

Career Hailstone was elected fellow of Trinity in 1784, and four years later became Woodwardian Professor of Geology. He held the Woodwardian chair for over thirty years, standing down in 1818 so that he could marry (the terms of appointment at that time required that the incumbent be unmarried). He went to Germany, and studied geology under Werner at Freiburg for about twelve months. On his return to Cambridge he devoted himself to the study and collection of geological specimens, but did not deliver any lectures. He published, however, in 1792, ‘A Plan of a course of lectures’. The museum was considerably enriched by him. He was elected to the Linnean Society in 1800, and to the Royal Society in 1801. When the Geological Society was founded, Hailstone was one of the forty-two people elected as honorary members. Hailstone contributed papers to Transactions of the Geological Society (1816, iii. 243–50), Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society (1822, i. 453–8), and the British Association (Report, 1834, p. 569).

Later life He married, and retired to the vicarage of Trumpington, near Cambridge, in 1818, and worked zealously for the education of the poor of his parish. He devoted much attention to chemistry and mineralogy, as well as to his favourite science, and kept for many years a meteorological diary. He made additions to the Woodwardian Museum, and left manuscript journals of his travels at home and abroad, and much correspondence on geological subjects. He died at Trumpington on 9 June 1847, in his 88th year.

References

Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hailstone, John". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

External links Works by or about John Hailstone at Wikisource

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Hailstone

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Hailstone 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 John Hailstone 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 Hailstone 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 Hailstone

In research: John Hailstone 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 John Hailstone 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 Hailstone is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1759 births, 1847 deaths, Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Hailstone 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 Hailstone in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John Hailstone in simple terms?

John Hailstone (13 December 1759 – 9 June 1847) was an English geologist. Biography Early life Hailstone was born at Hoxton, Middlesex on 13 December 1759 and at an early age he was placed under the care of a maternal uncle at York, and was sent to Beverley school in the East Riding.

Why does John Hailstone 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 John Hailstone?

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 Hailstone.