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Samuel Collins (physicist)

Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (physicist) rather than just read about it. In short: Samuel Cornette Collins (September 28, 1898 – June 19, 1984) was an American chemist, physicist, and engineer. Collins graduated from Sumner County High School in 1916.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Samuel Cornette Collins (September 28, 1898 – June 19, 1984) was an American chemist, physicist, and engineer. Collins graduated from Sumner County High School in 1916. He obtained his PhD in chemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1927. He taught at Carson-Newman College, the University of Tennessee, Tennessee State Teachers College, and the University of North Carolina, and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a research associate in the chemistry department in 1930. After World War II, he returned to MIT, joining the department of mechanical engineering. He was appointed professor in 1949 and retired in 1964. He was named professor emeritus, serving in this post until 1983. Collins developed the first mass-produced helium liquefier, Collins Helium Cryostat, acquiring the title "Father of Practical Helium Liquefiers." Collin's refrigerators, powered by a two-piston expansion engine, provided the first reliable supplies of liquid helium in quantities of several hundred to several thousand liters. Among other uses, these refrigerators were used to liquefy and transport helium and deuterium for the first hydrogen bomb explosion, Ivy Mike in 1952. He was awarded the John Price Wetherill Medal in 1951 and the Rumford Prize in 1965.

References

External links "U.S. Patents of Inventor Samuel C. Collins". Google Patents. "Samuel Cornet Collins". People - WebMuseum.MIT.Edu. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Samuel C. Collins Obituary". rklab.mit.edu. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Collins, Samuel C. (Samuel Cornett)". history.aip.org. American Institute of Physics. Damewood, Sue Reneau (28 September 2010). "Samuel Cornette Collins". Engineer, Physicist, Professor Emeritus, Scientist. Find a Grave.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samuel Collins (physicist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (physicist)

In research
Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (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
Samuel Collins (physicist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1898 births, 1984 deaths, 20th-century American engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (physicist) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Samuel Collins (physicist) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Samuel Collins (physicist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samuel Collins (physicist) in simple terms?

Samuel Cornette Collins (September 28, 1898 – June 19, 1984) was an American chemist, physicist, and engineer. Collins graduated from Sumner County High School in 1916.

Why does Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (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 Samuel Collins (physicist).

Tags

  • 1898 births
  • 1984 deaths
  • 20th-century American engineers
  • 20th-century American physicists
  • ASME Medal recipients
  • American physicist stubs
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
  • University of North Carolina alumni

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