physics

Peter Williams (physicist)

Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) rather than just read about it. In short: Sir Peter Michael Williams, (born 22 March 1945) is a British physicist. Education Williams was educated at Hymers College and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1966, and his PhD at Selwyn College, Cambridge, with a thesis entitled "Defect structure and luminescent properties of semiconductors" in 1969.

Key takeaways

Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Peter Williams (physicist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sir Peter Michael Williams, (born 22 March 1945) is a British physicist.

Education Williams was educated at Hymers College and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1966, and his PhD at Selwyn College, Cambridge, with a thesis entitled "Defect structure and luminescent properties of semiconductors" in 1969.

Career He began an academic career at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He then moved to industry and worked first at VG Instruments. He was chief executive of Oxford Instruments from its flotation in 1983 until his retirement in 1998. Sir Peter is currently chairman of the National Physical Laboratory and vice-president and treasurer of the Royal Society. He was previously master of St Catherine's College, Oxford (2000–2002), president of the Institute of Physics (2000–2002), president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (2002–2003) and chairman of the UK's Engineering and Technology Board (2001–2006). He has been a member of the InterAcademy Council's Committee to Review the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that reported in August 2010. In 2005 Williams became the fifth chancellor of the University of Leicester. He was also appointed patron for research at Marie Curie Cancer Care. He retired from this position in 2010. In 2015 Williams was appointed chairman of Kromek, an innovative British tech company making detectors for the medical, security and nuclear sectors.

Awards He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996. He received the CBE in 1992 and was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of 1998. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in May 1999. He won the Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize in 2005.

Other work He was on the governing body of Abingdon School from 1997 to 2000.

References

Further reading Commentaries – Sir Peter Williams, Department of Trade & Industry, 2004 Patron Council Members (PDF), The BA, 2003 New Heads of House, Oxford Blueprint, 10 October 2002 New Chancellor Installed at Ceremony (PDF), Bulletin, University of Leicester, December 2005 / January 2006 Sir Peter Williams is new research patron, Marie Curie Cancer Care, 2005 news archive

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peter Williams (physicist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist)

In research: Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1945 births, Academics of Imperial College London, Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Peter Williams (physicist) in simple terms?

Sir Peter Michael Williams, (born 22 March 1945) is a British physicist. Education Williams was educated at Hymers College and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1966, and his PhD at Selwyn College, Cambridge, with a thesis entitled "Defect structure and luminescen…

Why does Peter Williams (physicist) 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 Williams (physicist)?

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 Williams (physicist).