computer science

Tex Biard

Tex Biard is a computer science 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 Tex Biard rather than just read about it. In short: Captain Forrest Rosecrans "Tex" Biard (December 21, 1912, in Bonham, Texas – November 2, 2009) was an American linguist in the U.S. Navy codebreaking organization during the Second World War.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Captain Forrest Rosecrans "Tex" Biard (December 21, 1912, in Bonham, Texas – November 2, 2009) was an American linguist in the U.S. Navy codebreaking organization during the Second World War. A pre-war student of Japanese, Biard's translation work is considered to have been an important part of American military success.

Early life and education Biard graduated from North Dallas High School in 1930 and from the United States Naval Academy in 1934. He served as an ensign on the heavy cruiser USS New Orleans from 1935 to 1937. Biard was sent to Tokyo in 1939 for full-immersion Japanese language and culture training. His planned three-year assignment was cut short in September 1941 due to the rising tensions between Japan and the United States. Biard later earned a master's degree in physics from the Ohio State University in 1953.

World War II service In September 1941, Biard (then a lieutenant) was stationed at Pearl Harbor as a senior linguist for Station HYPO, part of American attempts to break Japanese military codes, including the key strategic code, JN-25. In February 1942, he was temporarily assigned to the USS Yorktown as the radio intelligence officer under Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. His translation and decryption work on JN-25 contributed substantially to Allied efforts in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on March 1, 1943. Biard was promoted to commander on February 1, 1944. He then worked with Tom Mackie to decrypt and translate captured Japanese Army code books for Douglas MacArthur; MacArthur was able to use Biard and Mackie's data to accelerate his "island-hopping" strategy to liberate New Guinea and hasten the end of the war.

Postwar career In 1946, Biard served as executive officer in the Intelligence Division and Chief of the Security Section for Operation Crossroads, the first nuclear weapons tests conducted by Joint Army/Navy Task Force One at Bikini Atoll. Biard retired from the U.S. Navy in January 1955 and received a promotion to captain based on his wartime service record. After retirement, he taught physics at Long Beach City College. Biard was interred along with his wife Winifred in Arlington National Cemetery on January 20, 2010.

Notes

References

External links Transcript of a 2002 speech by Biard Archived 2017-08-25 at the Wayback Machine USS Johnston profile of Biard

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tex Biard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tex Biard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, 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 Tex Biard 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 Tex Biard 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 Tex Biard

In research: Tex Biard appears in computer science 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 Tex Biard 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: Tex Biard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1912 births, 2009 deaths, 20th-century cryptographers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tex Biard 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 Tex Biard in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Tex Biard in simple terms?

Captain Forrest Rosecrans "Tex" Biard (December 21, 1912, in Bonham, Texas – November 2, 2009) was an American linguist in the U.S. Navy codebreaking organization during the Second World War.

Why does Tex Biard matter?

Because it connects several computer science 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 Tex Biard?

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 Tex Biard.