physics

Rick Millane

Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane rather than just read about it. In short: Rick P. Millane is a New Zealand electrical and computer engineer currently Professor at University of Canterbury and an Elected Fellow of The Royal Society of New Zealand.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Rick P. Millane is a New Zealand electrical and computer engineer currently Professor at University of Canterbury and an Elected Fellow of The Royal Society of New Zealand. A cited expert in his field, his research involves structural biology, molecular imaging and computational imaging.

Education He earned his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. at University of Canterbury.

Recent publications Millane RP. (2017) The phase problem for one-dimensional crystals. Acta Crystallographica Section A: Foundations and Advances 73(2): 140-150 Millane RP., Zhang N., Enevoldson E. and Murray JE. (2017) Analysis of mountain wave 3D wind fields in the Andes derived from high-altitude sailplane flights. Technical Soaring in press Popp D., Loh ND., Zorgati H., Ghoshdastider U., Liow LT., Ivanova MI., Larsson M., Deponte DP., Bean R. and Beyerlein KR. (2017) Flow-aligned, single-shot fiber diffraction using a femtosecond X-ray free-electron laser. Cytoskeleton Wojtas DH., Ayyer K., Liang M., Mossou E., Romoli F., Seuring C., Beyerlein KR., Bean RJ., Morgan AJ. and Oberthuer D. (2017) Analysis of XFEL serial diffraction data from individual crystalline fibrils. IUCrJ 4: 795-811 R. P. Millane, M. E. Fitzsimons, M. Qi and A. Haider (2006) Analysis of Gravel River Beds using Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning. SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6316

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rick Millane

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane

In research: Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane 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: Rick Millane is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Academic staff of the University of Canterbury, Fellows of the American Physical Society, Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Rick Millane in simple terms?

Rick P. Millane is a New Zealand electrical and computer engineer currently Professor at University of Canterbury and an Elected Fellow of The Royal Society of New Zealand.

Why does Rick Millane 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 Rick Millane?

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 Rick Millane.