physics

John M. Cowley

John M. Cowley is a physics 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 M. Cowley rather than just read about it. In short: John Maxwell Cowley (18 February 1923 – 18 May 2004) was an American Regents Professor at Arizona State University. The John M.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

John Maxwell Cowley (18 February 1923 – 18 May 2004) was an American Regents Professor at Arizona State University. The John M. Cowley Center for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy at Arizona State is named in his honor.

John Cowley was an extraordinarily productive scientist over more than five decades. He made pioneering contributions in the fields of electron microscopy, diffraction and crystallography, all of which brought him widespread recognition. He received the highest awards of the International Union of Crystallography (first Ewald Prize), the Electron Microscopy Society of America and the American Crystallographic Society, and he was honored by election to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science, The Royal Society of London, and the American Physical Society. His monograph Diffraction Physics remains the standard reference in the field. His ideas, enthusiasm and basic understanding of electron optics and diffraction phenomena provided a valued source of leadership to many generations of students and co-workers, and he was universally admired by his peers and colleagues as a great and inspiring scientist.

Selected publications Cowley, J. M. (1995). Diffraction physics. North Holland personal library (3rd ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-444-82218-5. Cowley, J. M. (1950). "X-Ray Measurement of Order in Single Crystals of Cu3Au". Journal of Applied Physics. 21 (1): 24–30. doi:10.1063/1.1699415. ISSN 0021-8979. Cowley, J. M. (1950). "An Approximate Theory of Order in Alloys". Physical Review. 77 (5): 669–675. Bibcode:1950PhRv...77..669C. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.77.669. ISSN 0031-899X. Cowley, J. M.; Moodie, A. F. (1957). "The scattering of electrons by atoms and crystals. I. A new theoretical approach". Acta Crystallographica. 10 (10): 609–619. Bibcode:1957AcCry..10..609C. doi:10.1107/S0365110X57002194. ISSN 0365-110X. Cowley, J. M. (1969). "Image contrast in a transmission scanning electron microscope". Applied Physics Letters. 15 (2): 58–59. Bibcode:1969ApPhL..15...58C. doi:10.1063/1.1652901. ISSN 0003-6951. Cowley, J. M.; Iijima, Sumio (1972). "Electron Microscope Image Contrast for Thin Crystal". Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A. 27 (3): 445–451. Bibcode:1972ZNatA..27..445C. doi:10.1515/zna-1972-0312. ISSN 1865-7109. Cowley, J. M. (1986). "Electron diffraction phenomena observed with a high resolution STEM instrument". Journal of Electron Microscopy Technique. 3 (1): 25–44. doi:10.1002/jemt.1060030105. ISSN 0741-0581. Cowley, J.M. (1992). "Twenty forms of electron holography". Ultramicroscopy. 41 (4): 335–348. doi:10.1016/0304-3991(92)90213-4.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John M. Cowley

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

In research: John M. Cowley appears in physics 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 M. Cowley 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 M. Cowley is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2004 deaths, Arizona State University faculty, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John M. Cowley 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 M. Cowley in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is John M. Cowley in simple terms?

John Maxwell Cowley (18 February 1923 – 18 May 2004) was an American Regents Professor at Arizona State University. The John M.

Why does John M. Cowley matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 M. Cowley?

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 M. Cowley.