science

Thomas E. Murray

Thomas E. Murray is a 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 Thomas E. Murray rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas E. Murray (October 21, 1860 – July 21, 1929) was an American inventor and businessman who developed electric power plants for New York City as well as many electrical devices which influenced life around the world, including the dimmer switch and screw-in fuse.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Thomas E. Murray (October 21, 1860 – July 21, 1929) was an American inventor and businessman who developed electric power plants for New York City as well as many electrical devices which influenced life around the world, including the dimmer switch and screw-in fuse. It has been said that he "invented everything from the power plant up to the light bulb". Murray is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history after Thomas Edison, holding 462 U.S. patents in his name. However, unlike Edison, Murray did not patent the work of others under his name; the employee would have the patent in their name, and assign it to the Murray company. Also, if Murray worked with anyone else on an invention, their name would be listed on the patent.

Early life Thomas E. Murray was born in Albany, New York, to an Irish family and was one of 12 children. He left school upon the death of his father when he was nine to help support his family by working three jobs.

Career

In 1875, he was an apprentice at the Albany Iron & Machine Works. In 1881, at the age of 21, he became the Chief Engineer of the Albany Waterworks. In 1887, Anthony N. Brady hired Murray to run the power station of the Albany Municipal Gas Co. Murray was responsible for the power stations that powered New York City for the first half of the 20th century. He eventually was in complete charge of all the allied Edison companies in New York City, Brooklyn, and Westchester.

1898: Gold St. in Brooklyn 1899: Waterside I and II (1906) 1910: Central Power Station in Gowanus 1913: Sherman Creek @ 201 St. 1921: Hell Gate in South Bronx 1924: Hudson Avenue 1926: East River Generating Station Many in Upstate NY / out of state Brooklyn Transit System

Family His son, Thomas E. Murray Jr., was also an engineer who worked with Thomas Edison. He was the grandfather of the fashion editor Catherine Murray di Montezemolo, Patricia R. Murray (wife of Sidney Wood and Edward N. Ney) and Jeanne Lourdes Murray (wife of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr.).

Death Thomas E. Murray died on July 21, 1929, at "Wickapogue", his summer estate in Southampton, Long Island, New York.

Honors and awards May 4, 2011 Murray was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame for the Electric Safety Fuse 920,613. In 1910, Murray won the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute.

Books and publications Report on the power station possibilities of the Kent Avenue property of the Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company Thomas E. Murray, consulting engineer. April 1903. Specifications for the Williamsburg power house of the Transit development company Thomas E. Murray, consulting engineer (1905) Electric power plants; a description of a number of power stations designed by Thomas Edward Murray (1910). Power Stations, by Thomas Edward Murray (1922). Applied engineering, by Thomas Edward Murray. : Applied engineering, by Thomas Edward Murray (1928)

See also Dad's in Heaven with Nixon is a 2010 documentary film produced, directed and written by Tom Murray, the great-grandson of Thomas E. Murray. It concerns the history of the Murray family and Tom's brother Chris Murray, an artist affected by autism. It briefly covers Thomas E. Murray's career and as a father through pictures and narration. Golden Clan, a non-fiction account of the Murray / McDonnell family of New York, by John Corry

References

Further reading Birmingham, Stephen (1973). Real Lace: America's Irish Rich. New York: Harper & Row. pp. 23–54. ISBN 9780060103361. OCLC 1151090528, 927973513 – via Internet Archive.

External links "Thomas E Murray". temurray.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2018.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas E. Murray

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

In research: Thomas E. Murray appears in 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 Thomas E. Murray 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: Thomas E. Murray is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1860 births, 1929 deaths, American inventors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas E. Murray 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 Thomas E. Murray in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas E. Murray in simple terms?

Why does Thomas E. Murray matter?

Because it connects several 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 Thomas E. Murray?

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 Thomas E. Murray.