chemistry

N. Bruce Hannay

N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay rather than just read about it. In short: Norman Bruce Hannay (February 9, 1921 – June 2, 1996) was an American physical chemist who was vice-president of Bell Telephone Laboratories. He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington state.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Norman Bruce Hannay (February 9, 1921 – June 2, 1996) was an American physical chemist who was vice-president of Bell Telephone Laboratories. He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington state. He studied chemistry and was awarded a B.A. in chemistry by Swarthmore College (1942) and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry by Princeton University (1944). His entire career was spent at Bell Chemical Laboratories, where he was a research chemist (1942–1960), chemical director (1960–1967), executive director, research, material science and engineering from 1967 to 1973, and finally vice-president, research and patents from 1973 to 1982. During his career he led research into semiconductors, superconductors, lasers and other related electronics. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He edited a series of volumes entitled Treatise on Solid State Chemistry. He died of pneumonia in 1996, he lived in Port Ludlow, Washington, was married to his wife Joan and had two daughters.

Honors and awards 1976 Acheson Medal of the Electrochemical Society 1983 Perkin Medal of the Society of Chemical Industry 1986 American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with N. Bruce Hannay

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay

In research: N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay 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: N. Bruce Hannay is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1921 births, 1996 deaths, 20th-century American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for N. Bruce Hannay 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “N. Bruce Hannay” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study N. Bruce Hannay in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is N. Bruce Hannay in simple terms?

Norman Bruce Hannay (February 9, 1921 – June 2, 1996) was an American physical chemist who was vice-president of Bell Telephone Laboratories. He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington state.

Why does N. Bruce Hannay 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 N. Bruce Hannay?

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 N. Bruce Hannay.