chemistry

Neil Gordon

Neil Gordon 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 Neil Gordon rather than just read about it. In short: Neil Elbridge Gordon (October 7, 1886 – May 30, 1949) was an American chemist and educator. He founded the Journal of Chemical Education (c. 1924) and established the Gordon Research Conferences (c. 1931).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Neil Elbridge Gordon (October 7, 1886 – May 30, 1949) was an American chemist and educator. He founded the Journal of Chemical Education (c. 1924) and established the Gordon Research Conferences (c. 1931).

Life and death He held several Chair positions spanning his time at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, Central College in Missouri, and Wayne State University. On May 30, 1949, Gordon died by suicide from the roof of a "fashionable hotel" near downtown Detroit. Three policemen had tried unsuccessfully to prevent his leap. After his death the Gibson Island Conference, originally created by Gordon, was renamed the Gordon Research Conferences.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neil Gordon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neil Gordon 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 Neil Gordon 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 Gordon 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 Gordon

In research: Neil Gordon 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 Neil Gordon 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 Gordon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1886 births, 1949 deaths, 20th-century American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neil Gordon 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.

Affiliate

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

How to study Neil Gordon in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Neil Gordon in simple terms?

Why does Neil Gordon 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 Neil Gordon?

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 Gordon.