astronomy

Richard Makinson

Richard Makinson is a astronomy 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 Richard Makinson rather than just read about it. In short: Richard Elliss Bodenham Makinson (5 May 1913 – 15 January 1979), also R.E.B. or Dick Makinson, was an Australian physicist and communist activist, known for his contributions to solid-state physics and amorphous semiconductors. Makinson was born in Burwood a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard Elliss Bodenham Makinson (5 May 1913 – 15 January 1979), also R.E.B. or Dick Makinson, was an Australian physicist and communist activist, known for his contributions to solid-state physics and amorphous semiconductors. Makinson was born in Burwood a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney. He first enrolled at North Sydney Boys High School and later completed secondary education at Sydney Church of England Grammar (Shore) School. He graduated with first-class honours in physics from the University of Sydney in 1935. Later he traveled to England where he was awarded a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge in 1939. Makinson contributed to the understanding of thermal conductivity in crystals. His work in this area is cited in the classical book Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel. He also contributed to the physics of amorphous semiconductors. This research is cited in the book Quantum Electron Theory of Amorphous Conductors. During the Cold War, Makinson was suspected of communist sympathies and explicitly denounced by noted anti-communist William Wentworth. As a result, he was denied a number of teaching positions, including a research chair at Sydney University, where he taught from 1939 to 1968. Makinson was a friend and colleague of John Clive Ward and assisted in the creation of the physics program at Macquarie University where he obtained a position in 1968. In the late 1970s he was a supporter of the Macquarie science reform movement. Makinson died of cancer, at Wahroonga, a northern suburb of Sydney, in 1979.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard Makinson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard Makinson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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 Richard Makinson 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 Richard Makinson 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 Richard Makinson

In research: Richard Makinson appears in astronomy 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 Richard Makinson 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: Richard Makinson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1913 births, 1979 deaths, Academic staff of Macquarie University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard Makinson 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 Richard Makinson in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard Makinson in simple terms?

Why does Richard Makinson matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Richard Makinson?

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 Richard Makinson.