physics

William Colglazier

William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier rather than just read about it. In short: Elmer William Colglazier (born November 24, 1944) is an American physicist, best known as the fourth science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Elmer William Colglazier (born November 24, 1944) is an American physicist, best known as the fourth science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014. In that role, he has written about the benefits of science diplomacy. Colglazier received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1971. He then worked at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. While at Harvard, he also served as associate director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Humanism of the Aspen Institute. In 1976 and 1977, he was an AAAS Congressional Science Fellow working for Congressman George Brown. From 1983 to 1991, he was professor of physics and director of the Energy, Environment, and Resources Center at the University of Tennessee, where he worked closely with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From 1991 to 1994, Colglazier was executive director of the Office of International Affairs of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and National Academies of Sciences (NRC). From 1994 to 2011, Colglazier served as executive officer of the NAS and NRC. From 2000 to 2011, he also served as NRC's chief operating officer. Colglazier has been married to Catherine Clark Colglazier, former teacher and Humanities Manager at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia for 50 years. They have two married children: Geraldine Tunnell, Senior VP for Marketing at Dell, and Will Colglazier, US History teacher at Aragon High School (CA). He resides in McLean, VA.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Department of State.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Colglazier

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier

In research: William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier 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: William Colglazier is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1948 births, 21st-century American physicists, American chief operating officers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Colglazier 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study William Colglazier in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William Colglazier in simple terms?

Elmer William Colglazier (born November 24, 1944) is an American physicist, best known as the fourth science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014.

Why does William Colglazier 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 William Colglazier?

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 William Colglazier.