science

Marian Farquharson

Marian Farquharson is a 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 Marian Farquharson rather than just read about it. In short: Marian Sarah Ogilvie Farquharson, FLS, FRMS (née Ridley, 2 July 1846 – 20 April 1912) was a British naturalist and women's rights activist. The first female Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (although not permitted to attend meetings), Farquharson is best remembered for her campaign of women rights to full fellowship of learned societies.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Marian Sarah Ogilvie Farquharson, FLS, FRMS (née Ridley, 2 July 1846 – 20 April 1912) was a British naturalist and women's rights activist. The first female Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (although not permitted to attend meetings), Farquharson is best remembered for her campaign of women rights to full fellowship of learned societies.

Early and personal life Marian Sarah Ridley was born on 2 July 1846 in West Meon, Hampshire, England, the eldest daughter of Reverend Nicholas James Ridley and Frances Joucriet (d. 1901). She was a descendent of Bishop Nicholas Ridley. Educated at home, including lessons in music, she became interested in natural history. In 1883, she married Robert Francis Ogilvie Farquharson from near Alford, Aberdeenshire. She moved to live with him on the Haughton estate. He died in May 1890 and she continued interests in both natural history and women's membership of learned societies.

Scientific activity She joined the Epping Forest and Essex Naturalists' Field Club in 1881; that same year, her book A Pocket Guide to British Ferns was published. After moving to Scotland, she joined the Alford Field Club and East of Scotland Union of Naturalists' Societies. Two articles by Farquharson about ferns and mosses were published in the Scottish Naturalist. She also gave a presentation about them to the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Aberdeen in 1885. In 1885, she was elected the first female Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society. Despite this, as a woman she was prohibited to attend any of its meetings or vote on Society's matters. She was involved with the Congress of the International Council of Women, held in London in 1899, and contributed to the Biological Sciences section of the Congress.

Women's rights

After her husband's death in 1890, Farquharson began active campaigning for women's rights for full fellowship and participation of learned societies. She founded and was president of the Scottish Association for Promotion of Women's Public Work. In 1900, Farquharson sent a letter petitioning the Royal Society and the Linnean Society of London that "duly qualified women should have the advantages of full fellowship in scientific and other learned societies". The Linnean Society initially refused to accept the petition with the excuse that it could only accept one through one of its fellows. After its former president John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury resubmitted the petition on her behalf, the society eventually declined the proposal on the basis that it was doubtful its royal charter could be applied to women. A similar reply was also given by the Royal Society. The following year, Farquharson petition of the Linnean Society intensified under it finally agreed for the petition to go before its fellows. In 1903, the Society decided to seek a supplementary charter from the King explicitly allowing women fellows. A ballot of fifteen women for fellowship finally took place in December 1904, where all but Farquharson were elected. Farquharson was not elected to the Society until 1908 when her nomination was resubmitted. However, as a result of her health, she never signed the Society's roll for admission thus was never formally admitted to the Linnean Society. She died in Nice on 20 April 1912.

Works In addition to her early interest in ferns and mosses, she developed an interest in desmids from 1883 onwards.

A Pocket Guide to British Ferns (1881) (online) Notes on mosses of the north of Scotland in Scottish Naturalist, vol. 8, 1885–1886, p. 381 (online) Ferns and mosses of the Alford district in Scottish Naturalist, vol. 10, 1889–1890, pp. 193–198

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marian Farquharson

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

In research: Marian Farquharson appears in 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 Marian Farquharson 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: Marian Farquharson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1846 births, 1912 deaths, 19th-century British naturalists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marian Farquharson 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 Marian Farquharson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marian Farquharson 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.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Marian Farquharson in simple terms?

Why does Marian Farquharson matter?

Because it connects several 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 Marian Farquharson?

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 Marian Farquharson.