chemistry

Paul Werner Gast

Paul Werner Gast 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 Paul Werner Gast rather than just read about it. In short: Paul Werner Gast (September 11, 1930 – May 16, 1973) was an American geochemist and geologist. He was born in Chicago to German immigrants and attended Wheaton College, Illinois, whence he graduated in 1952.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Paul Werner Gast (September 11, 1930 – May 16, 1973) was an American geochemist and geologist. He was born in Chicago to German immigrants and attended Wheaton College, Illinois, whence he graduated in 1952. He earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1957. After graduation, he taught at the University of Minnesota until 1965 when he became professor of geology at Columbia. In 1969 Paul Gast assumed leadership of the geo-science management of the Manned Spacecraft Center in preparation for Apollo mission sample return from the Moon. He served as chief scientist of the Apollo Lunar Science Staff. He was one of the science consultant group known unofficially as the "Four Horsemen," along with Jim Arnold, Bob Walker, and Gerry Wasserburg. He died at the age of 43, being survived by his wife, Joyce Rinehart, and two sons and a daughter. During his career he pioneered the study of rare earth elements in examining the crust, mantle, and interior of the planet. He led the development of the use of rubidium-strontium and uranium-lead radiometric dating methods for rocks, particularly for samples returned from the Moon. His examinations of trace elements resulted in new understanding of how volcanic fluids originate.

Awards and honors Geochemistry Fellow of the Geochemical Society. V. M. Goldschmidt Award of the Geochemical Society, 1972. James Furman Kemp medal, 1973. Space Science Award, 1973. Geochemical society named their Paul W. Gast Lecture Series after him. The publication "Trace Elements in Igneous Petrology" was published in his memory. Dorsum Gast, a wrinkle ridge on the Moon, is named after him.

Works

R. Kay; N. J. Hubbard; P. W. Gast (10 March 1970). "Chemical characteristics and origin of oceanic ridge volcanic rocks". Journal of Geophysical Research. 75 (8): 1585–1613. Bibcode:1970JGR....75.1585K. doi:10.1029/jb075i008p01585. ISSN 0148-0227. Wikidata Q57965870. Robert W. Kay; Paul W. Gast (November 1973). "The Rare Earth Content and Origin of Alkali-Rich Basalts". The Journal of Geology. 81 (6): 653–682. Bibcode:1973JG.....81..653K. doi:10.1086/627919. ISSN 0022-1376. Wikidata Q55980868. G.N. Hanson; P.W. Gast (January 1967). "Kinetic studies in contact metamorphic zones". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 31 (7): 1119–1153. Bibcode:1967GeCoA..31.1119H. doi:10.1016/s0016-7037(67)80053-x. ISSN 0016-7037. Wikidata Q96228754. Gast, P. W., "Isotopic Geochemistry", Columbia University. He was also co-author of multiple papers on Geology.

References

"Dr. Paul W. Gast, Geologist, Is Dead". The New York Times. May 18, 1973.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paul Werner Gast

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paul Werner Gast 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 Paul Werner Gast 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 Werner Gast 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 Werner Gast

In research: Paul Werner Gast 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 Paul Werner Gast 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 Werner Gast is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1930 births, 1991 deaths, 20th-century American chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paul Werner Gast 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 Paul Werner Gast in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Paul Werner Gast in simple terms?

Why does Paul Werner Gast 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 Paul Werner Gast?

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 Werner Gast.