ArticleslgStudy

physics

Paul H. Dike

Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike rather than just read about it. In short: Paul Harrison Dike (February 22, 1878, Crystal Lake, Illinois – June 25, 1956, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania) was an American physicist who did research on terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity, photoelectricity, pyrometry, and radiation theory. Biography Paul H.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Paul Harrison Dike (February 22, 1878, Crystal Lake, Illinois – June 25, 1956, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania) was an American physicist who did research on terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity, photoelectricity, pyrometry, and radiation theory.

Biography Paul H. Dike graduated from Northwestern University in physics with a B.S. in 1901 and an M.S. in 1903. For the academic year 1901–1902 he taught science at a high school in Du Quoin, Illinois. From 1904 to 1905 he was a magnetic observer for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. From 1905 to 1909 he was a member of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. He studied abroad at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin from 1905 to 1906 and at the University of Cambridge in 1906. Following instructions from the Carnegie Institution's Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Dike joined the magnetic survey yacht Galilee at Sitka, Alaska near the beginning of August 1907 and performed experimental observations of atmospheric electriticy during the 1907–1908 voyage in the Pacific Ocean. From 1909 to 1911 he was a graduate student and an assistant in physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. There he graduated in June 1911 with a Ph.D. in physics. His Ph.D. thesis "Photo-Electric Potentials of Thin Cathode Films" was published in Physical Review(Series I) 34, 459 – June 1, 1912. He was from 1911 to 1914 an assistant in physics at Mount Vernon, Iowa's Cornell College and from 1914 to 1915 an instructor at the University of Missouri. He was a professor of physics from 1915 to 1923 at Robert College in Istanbul, from 1923 to 1924 at the University of North Carolina, and from 1924 to 1925 at the University of Vermont. During WW I on an academic leave of absence, he served from August 18, 1917 to 1919 as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. In 1919 he was an acting scientific attaché at the U.S. embassy in Paris. At Leeds & Northrup Company in Philadelphia, he was from 1925 to 1937 a research physicist, from 1937 to 1948 an assistant director of research, and from 1948 a research consultant. Dike was elected in 1910 a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 1936 a Fellow of the American Physical Society. In 1906 he married Grace Gordon Gulick (1883–1933) daughter of Alice Gordon Gulick, an American missionary teacher in Spain. They had two sons, William Gordon and Paul Alexander. Their first son, William Gordon Dike became a physicist who worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on the atomic bomb project during World War II. As a widower, Paul H. Dike married Mildred E. Watts in November 1936 in Philadelphia. He is buried in Crystal Lake Cemetery on Lake Avenue in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Selected publications Dike, P. H. (1906). "The diurnal variation of the amount of radioactive emanation in the atmosphere". Journal of Geophysical Research. 11 (3): 125–129. Bibcode:1906TeMAE..11..125D. doi:10.1029/TE011i003p00125. —— (1907). "Proposed atmospheric electricity work on the magnetic survey yacht "Galilee" in 1907". Journal of Geophysical Research. 12 (2): 81–82. Bibcode:1907TeMAE..12...81D. doi:10.1029/TE012i002p00081. —— (1907). "Paulsen's résumé of recent theories of polar lights". Journal of Geophysical Research. 12 (2): 84–86. Bibcode:1907TeMAE..12...84D. doi:10.1029/TE012i002p00084. 1907 —— (1907). "Preliminary report on atmospheric electricity work, yacht "Galilee," Sitka to Honolulu, August, 1907". Journal of Geophysical Research. 12 (3): 129–130. Bibcode:1907TeMAE..12..129D. doi:10.1029/TE012i003p00129. —— (1908). "Report on the atmospheric electricity observations made on the magnetic survey yacht "Galilee," 1907–08". Journal of Geophysical Research. 13 (3): 119–124. Bibcode:1908TeMAE..13..119D. doi:10.1029/TE013i003p00119. —— (1909). "An experimental investigation of dip needle corrections". Journal of Geophysical Research. 14 (3): 137–146. Bibcode:1909TeMAE..14..137D. doi:10.1029/TE014i003p00137. —— (1909). "ART. XII.--Recent Observations in Atmospheric Electricity". American Journal of Science. 4th Series. 27 (159): 197–209. doi:10.2475/ajs.s4-27.159.197. hathitrust.org text —— (1912). "Photo-Electric Potentials of Thin Cathode Films". Physical Review. Series I. 34 (6): 459–470. Bibcode:1912PhRvI..34..459D. doi:10.1103/PhysRevSeriesI.34.459. hdl:2027/wu.89011288271. e-book (journal publication of June 1911 Ph.D. thesis) —— (1930). "A Precision Audio Frequency Bridge". Review of Scientific Instruments. 1 (12): 744–748. Bibcode:1930RScI....1..744D. doi:10.1063/1.1748662. —— (1931). "A Bridge for the Measurement of the Conductance of Electrolytes". Review of Scientific Instruments. 2 (7): 379–395. Bibcode:1931RScI....2..379D. doi:10.1063/1.1748805. —— (1936). "The Effect of Atmospheric Humidity on Unsealed Resistors, Causes and Remedy". Review of Scientific Instruments. 7 (7): 278–287. Bibcode:1936RScI....7..278D. doi:10.1063/1.1752150. —— (1947). "Instrumentation and measurement in the field of dielectrics". Digest of Literature on Dielectrics. 11. IEEE: 36–39. —— (1955). Thermoelectric Thermometry: A Monograph on the Materials and Methods Involved in the Measurement of Temperature with the Aid of Thermocouples. Leeds & Northern Company; 90 pages{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

References

External links "Galilee Voyages, The Galilee, Ocean Magnetic Survey Expeditions". Carnegie Institution for Science, DTM-Geophysical Laboratory Library (dam-ocean.carnegiescience.edu).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paul H. Dike

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike

In research
Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike 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
Paul H. Dike is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1878 births, 1956 deaths, 20th-century American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Paul H. Dike 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 “Paul H. Dike” →

Affiliate

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

How to study Paul H. Dike in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Paul H. Dike means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Paul H. Dike out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paul H. Dike in simple terms?

Paul Harrison Dike (February 22, 1878, Crystal Lake, Illinois – June 25, 1956, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania) was an American physicist who did research on terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity, photoelectricity, pyrometry, and radiation theory. Biography Paul H.

Why does Paul H. Dike 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 Paul H. Dike?

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 Paul H. Dike.

Tags

  • 1878 births
  • 1956 deaths
  • 20th-century American physicists
  • American experimental physicists
  • American geophysicists
  • Atmospheric physicists
  • Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Fellows of the American Physical Society
  • Magneticians
  • Northwestern University alumni
  • People from Crystal Lake, Illinois
  • United States Coast and Geodetic Survey personnel

Keep exploring