physics

Peter R. Jennings

Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings rather than just read about it. In short: Peter R. Jennings (born 1950) is a British-Canadian physicist, scientist, inventor, software developer, computer chess programmer, and entrepreneur.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Peter R. Jennings (born 1950) is a British-Canadian physicist, scientist, inventor, software developer, computer chess programmer, and entrepreneur. He is most notable for creating MicroChess, the first microcomputer game to be sold commercially.

Biography

Early life Peter Jennings was born in Bedford, England, in 1950. In the 1960s his family moved to Ontario, Canada. He received his Master of Arts (MA) degree in physics from SUNY Stony Brook University in 1972 and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance and marketing from McMaster University in 1974.

MicroChess and ChessMate Jennings developed MicroChess shortly after leaving graduate school in New York. It was the first software to ever sell over 10,000 copies. The code was sold on paper and users had to manually enter the program using a keyboard.

The program was later available on Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore PET, and Atari 8-bit computers, where it sold millions of copies. Jennings also developed the first model of the ChessMate while working for Commodore in 1977.

Later years In 1976, along with Dan Fylstra, Jennings co-founded the corporation Personal Software, which later became VisiCorp. Proceeds from MicroChess sales helped finance the development of VisiCalc, the first-ever spreadsheet program.

Publications January 1978: "The Second World Computer Chess Championships". BYTE. p. 108. March 1978: "Microchess 1.5 vs. Dark Horse". BYTE. p. 166. 1979: "Revolution in Personal Computing". Wharton Magazine. No date: "A Good, Long Read (for 18 Years)". Foundation RISC User Online. RISCOS Ltd.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peter R. Jennings

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings

In research: Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings 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: Peter R. Jennings is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1950 births, Canadian businesspeople, Canadian inventors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Peter R. Jennings in simple terms?

Peter R. Jennings (born 1950) is a British-Canadian physicist, scientist, inventor, software developer, computer chess programmer, and entrepreneur.

Why does Peter R. Jennings 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 Peter R. Jennings?

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 Peter R. Jennings.