physics

Neil F. Johnson

Neil F. Johnson is a physics 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 Neil F. Johnson rather than just read about it. In short: Neil Fraser Johnson (born 1961) is an English physicist who is notable for his work in complexity theory and complex systems, spanning quantum information, econophysics, and condensed matter physics. He is currently Professor of Physics at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where he heads up a new initiative in Complexity and Data Science which combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data…

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Neil Fraser Johnson (born 1961) is an English physicist who is notable for his work in complexity theory and complex systems, spanning quantum information, econophysics, and condensed matter physics. He is currently Professor of Physics at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where he heads up a new initiative in Complexity and Data Science which combines cross-disciplinary fundamental research with data science, with a view to resolving complex real-world problems. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and is the recipient of the 2018 Burton Award from the APS. He presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures "Arrows of time" on BBC TV in 1999. He has more than 300 published research papers across a wide variety of research topics and has supervised the doctoral theses of more than 25 students. He is also notable for his books Financial Market Complexity published by Oxford University Press and Simply Complexity: A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory published by Oneworld Publications, and for his research on the many-body dynamics of insurgent conflict and online extremism.

Education and career He attended Southend High School for Boys in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. He received his BA/MA from St. John's College, Cambridge, University of Cambridge where he was elected as a Scholar throughout his undergraduate career. He obtained a First each year, and obtained top First in the final examinations. He was awarded the Hartree and Maxwell prizes. He was awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar where he received his PhD in 1989. Following his PhD, he was first appointed as a Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, then as a Professor at the Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá. He was then Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford until 2007, having joined the faculty in 1992. After a period as Professor of Physics at the University of Miami in Florida, he was appointed Professor of Physics at George Washington University in 2018. While a student at school and university, Johnson was a sax player with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) in the United Kingdom and toured extensively with them. He appears on a number of commercial recordings with NYJO and with other artists as a session musician.

Selected publications Johnson, Neil F.; Jefferies, Paul; Hui, Pak Ming (2003). Financial Market Complexity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852665-2. Olaya-Castro, Alexandra; Fassioli Olsen, Francesca; Lee, Chiu Fan; Johnson, Neil F. (2008). "Ultrafast Quantum Dynamics in Photosynthesis". In Derek Abbott; Paul C W Davies; Arun K Pati (eds.). Quantum Aspects of Life. Imperial College Press. ISBN 978-1-84816-253-2. Johnson, Neil F. (2009). Simply Complexity, A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory. Oxford: Oneworld. ISBN 978-1-85168-630-8.

References

External links Neil Johnson interview Johnson lecture on complexity Website at GW

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neil F. Johnson

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

In research: Neil F. Johnson appears in physics 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 Neil F. Johnson 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: Neil F. Johnson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1961 births, Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge, English physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neil F. Johnson 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 Neil F. Johnson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Neil F. Johnson in simple terms?

Why does Neil F. Johnson matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Neil F. Johnson?

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 Neil F. Johnson.