physics

Sakurai Prize

Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize rather than just read about it. In short: The J. J.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, also commonly referred to as just the Sakurai Prize, is a prize awarded by the American Physical Society. It is presented annually at the Society's April meeting and honors "outstanding achievement in particle theory". The award was established in November 1984 with an endowment fund provided by the family and friends of physicist Jun John Sakurai, who had died in October 1982 during a visit to CERN. Currently, the prize consists of a US$10,000 cash award, an allowance for the recipient to travel to the ceremony, and a certificate citing their contributions. From its inaugural edition until 2008, the prize's cash award was $5,000. The Sakurai Prize is administered by the Society's Division of Particles and Fields, and winners are chosen by a selection committee. The prize may be shared by multiple people. The inaugural recipients, Toshihide Maskawa and Makoto Kobayashi, were awarded the prize in 1985 for their work on the electroweak interaction. The first woman to receive the Sakurai Prize was Mary K. Gaillard in 1993.

Recipients

See also List of American Physical Society prizes and awards List of physics awards List of awards named after people

References

Sources Nambu, Yoichiro (1983). "Jun John Sakurai". Physics Today. 36 (2): 87. Bibcode:1983PhT....36b..87N. doi:10.1063/1.2915507. "Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics established". Physics Today. 37 (4): 91. 1984. doi:10.1063/1.2916205. "APS Honors Work in Nuclei, Fluids, Theory". Physics Today. 38 (4): 95–97. 1985. Bibcode:1985PhT....38d..95.. doi:10.1063/1.2814538. "At April Meeting, APS and AAPT Recognize Outstanding Work". Physics Today. 46 (9): 75. 1993. Bibcode:1993PhT....46i..75.. doi:10.1063/1.2809048.

External links 2010 Sakurai Prize playlist on YouTube

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sakurai Prize

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize

In research: Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize 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: Sakurai Prize is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Awards of the American Physical Society, Fellows of the American Physical Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Sakurai Prize in simple terms?

The J. J.

Why does Sakurai Prize 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 Sakurai Prize?

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 Sakurai Prize.