astronomy

Masuzo Shikata

Masuzo Shikata is a astronomy 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 Masuzo Shikata rather than just read about it. In short: Masuzo Shikata (志方益三, Shikata Masuzō; Tokyo, August 10, 1895 – May 8, 1964) was a Japanese chemist and one of the pioneers in electrochemistry. Together with his mentor and colleague, Czech chemist and inventor Jaroslav Heyrovský, he developed the first polarograph, a type of electrochemical analyzing machine, and co-authored the paper which introduced the machine and the name "polarograph".

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Masuzo Shikata (志方益三, Shikata Masuzō; Tokyo, August 10, 1895 – May 8, 1964) was a Japanese chemist and one of the pioneers in electrochemistry. Together with his mentor and colleague, Czech chemist and inventor Jaroslav Heyrovský, he developed the first polarograph, a type of electrochemical analyzing machine, and co-authored the paper which introduced the machine and the name "polarograph". This machine was important because it automated the measurement of I-V curves (current-voltage curves) of solutions, which when done by hand could take over an hour for each test.

Biography After graduating from Department of Agricultural Chemistry at the Imperial University of Tokyo in 1920, Shikata gravitated towards electrochemistry and did further study at the Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, also in Tokyo. He was able to study chemistry in Berlin under Professor Isidor Traube. While in Germany he learned of Jaroslav Heyrovský's research in electrochemistry, and joined his team in 1923. Shikata and Heyrovský built their first polarograph in 1924. After being made Professor, Masuzo held the chair of Professor of Wood Chemistry in the Agricultural Chemistry department at Kyoto University and was chair from the first establishment in 1927 of Kyoto University's Chemical Research Institute. During World War II he was dispatched to Manchukuo in Japanese-occupied China. When he returned in 1954, he was made Professor at Nagoya University and he stayed there until he retired in 1959. While living his retirement in Nagoya, he fell ill and went back to Kyoto, where he died of an apoplectic, or hemorrhagic, stroke.

References

External links Eugenii Kat's page at Hebrew University

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Masuzo Shikata

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

In research: Masuzo Shikata appears in astronomy 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 Masuzo Shikata 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: Masuzo Shikata is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1895 births, 1964 deaths, Academic staff of Nagoya University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Masuzo Shikata 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 Masuzo Shikata in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Masuzo Shikata in simple terms?

Why does Masuzo Shikata matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Masuzo Shikata?

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 Masuzo Shikata.