chemistry

Martin Onslow Forster

Martin Onslow Forster is a chemistry 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 Martin Onslow Forster rather than just read about it. In short: Sir Martin Onslow Forster, FRS (8 November 1872 – 24 May 1945) was a chemist and a director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. Forster was born in Lambeth, London.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Sir Martin Onslow Forster, FRS (8 November 1872 – 24 May 1945) was a chemist and a director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. Forster was born in Lambeth, London. One of four children of Martin Forster, a bank clerk and his wife Ann Hope Limby, he schooled at Dane Hill House (or Boulden's), Margate and in 1888 went to Finsbury Technical College to pursue his interest in chemistry. Further studies and a certificate were achieved in industry. He undertook research under Raphael Meldola and later with Emil Fischer at the University of Würzburg where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1892. He then returned to England and worked under W. A. Tilden at Mason College, Birmingham followed by research under H. E. Armstrong at the Central Technical College, South Kensington. Here he received a fellowship from Salters' Company and studied the chemistry of camphor. In 1895 he was offered a post of demonstrator in chemistry at the Royal College of Science where his former advisor Tilden had moved. He received a Granville scholarship and joined the University of London in 1899 and became an assistant professor of chemistry in 1902. Forster retired in 1913 with an intention to join politics but returned to research in the chemical industry as a consultant for the dye industry in 1914. In 1915 he headed the technical committee for British Dyes Limited and became its director in 1916. He resigned from the company following troubles and joined the Salters' Institute of Industrial Chemistry which allowed him to conduct experiments at the Davy-Faraday Laboratories. Forster was an impressive speaker but his leadership was considered poor. He was considered to be aloof, having an air of superiority and was unpopular in Britain. However, his career in India was more successful. On the recommendation of Sir W.J. Pope, he became a director of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore. His administration earned him respect among the staff and students. Although retired in 1927 with a knighthood bestowed on him, he stayed on till 1933. He then settled in Mysore. Forster was married twice, first to Madeleine Nichols, daughter of an American chemist in 1907 and they divorced in 1916. In 1925 he married Elena Josefina. He had no children and died in Mysore, India.

References

External links Biographical material John Lionel Simonsen: Sir Martin Forster, F.R.S. In: Nature. 156, 7. July 1945, S. 13–14. Martin Onslow Forster at insaindia.org

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martin Onslow Forster

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

In research: Martin Onslow Forster appears in chemistry 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 Martin Onslow Forster 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: Martin Onslow Forster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1872 births, 1945 deaths, Alumni of the University of London, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martin Onslow Forster 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 Martin Onslow Forster in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Martin Onslow Forster in simple terms?

Sir Martin Onslow Forster, FRS (8 November 1872 – 24 May 1945) was a chemist and a director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. Forster was born in Lambeth, London.

Why does Martin Onslow Forster matter?

Because it connects several chemistry 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 Martin Onslow Forster?

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 Martin Onslow Forster.