science

My Name Is Bill W.

My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W. rather than just read about it. In short: My Name Is Bill W. is a 1989 ABC Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, starring James Woods, JoBeth Williams and James Garner. William G.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

My Name Is Bill W. is a 1989 ABC Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, starring James Woods, JoBeth Williams and James Garner. William G. Borchert, who wrote the film script for television, based it on the true story of William Griffith Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith (the men respectively called "Bill W." and "Dr. Bob"), the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. James Woods won an Emmy for his portrayal of Wilson.

Plot The movie details the true story of stockbroker William Griffith Wilson, a World War I veteran whose alcoholism ("drinking problem") becomes a serious addiction and causes him to lose his fortune in the stock market collapse of 1929. Wilson's career and his domestic life are in tatters when he meets Robert Holbrook Smith, also struggling with a drinking problem. The duo founded a support group that became the nucleus for the society Alcoholics Anonymous.

Featured cast

Awards and nominations

1990 American Cinema Editors Awards (Eddies) Nominated – Best Edited Television Special: Paul Rubell, John Wright

1990 American Society of Cinematographers Nominated – Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots: Neil Roach

1990 Directors Guild of America Nominated – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials: Daniel Petrie

1989 Emmy Awards Won – Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or Movie: James Woods Nominated – Outstanding Costumes For A Miniseries, Movie Or Special: April Ferry Nominated – Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or Dramatic Special: Daniel Petrie Nominated – Outstanding Television Movie: Peter K. Duchow, James Garner, Daniel Petrie Nominated – Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Miniseries Or A Movie: Paul Rubell, John Wright Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie: James Garner Nominated – Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special: William G. Borchert

1990 Golden Globe Awards Nominated – Best Limited or Anthology Series Nominated – Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film: James Woods

See also History of Alcoholics Anonymous

External links My Name Is Bill W. at IMDb Bill's Story, from Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with My Name Is Bill W.

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W.

In research: My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W. 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: My Name Is Bill W. is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1989 American films, 1989 English-language films, 1989 biographical drama films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W. in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is My Name Is Bill W. in simple terms?

My Name Is Bill W. is a 1989 ABC Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, starring James Woods, JoBeth Williams and James Garner. William G.

Why does My Name Is Bill W. 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 My Name Is Bill W.?

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 My Name Is Bill W..