physics

Kamerlingh Onnes Prize

Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize rather than just read about it. In short: The Heike Kamerlingh Onnes Prize was established in 2000, under the sponsorship of Elsevier, by the organizers of the International Conference on the Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity (M2S). The prize is named in honor of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, who discovered superconductivity in 1911.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Heike Kamerlingh Onnes Prize was established in 2000, under the sponsorship of Elsevier, by the organizers of the International Conference on the Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity (M2S). The prize is named in honor of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, who discovered superconductivity in 1911. At each conference, the prize, which consists of 7500 € and a certificate, is presented to one or more physicists. If there are two or more recipients they share the money. The prize "recognizes outstanding experiments which illuminate the nature of superconductivity other than materials". The winners are selected by the members of the Kamerlingh Onnes Prize Committee, appointed by the conference organizers. The prize was first awarded in 2000 at the 6th International Conference on Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity and High Temperature Superconductors:

The new H. Kamerlingh Onnes Prize for outstanding experiments that illuminate the nature of superconductivity other than materials, was established by Elsevier Science, publisher of Physica C-Superconductivity and its Applications. The first H. Kamerlingh Onnes Prize was awarded to Zhi-Xun Shen. The prize is "one of the leading awards for experimental research in superconductivity."

Recipients The following are recipients:

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kamerlingh Onnes Prize

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize

In research: Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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: Kamerlingh Onnes Prize is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000 establishments in the Netherlands, Awards established in 2000, Dutch science and technology awards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Kamerlingh Onnes Prize in simple terms?

Why does Kamerlingh Onnes Prize 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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize?

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 Kamerlingh Onnes Prize.