earth science

William Edward Davies

William Edward Davies is a earth 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 William Edward Davies rather than just read about it. In short: William Edward Davies (December 24, 1917 – June 27, 1990) was a notable American geologist, speleologist and official of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William Edward Davies (December 24, 1917 – June 27, 1990) was a notable American geologist, speleologist and official of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). He produced pioneering surveys of West Virginia and Maryland caves.

Biography Davies was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a master's degree in geology at Michigan State University. He came to Washington, DC during World War II, at which time he was an officer with the Army Map Service. He stayed on as a civilian until 1949 when he joined the USGS. His assignments included surveying caves in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and research on permafrost. Until the publication of his work on caves in Maryland, the topic was virtually unknown to the public. In the mid-1950s he took part in a USGS expedition to Antarctica. The Davies Escarpment in Antarctica was named for him. He retired in the mid-1980s. Davies died from a heart attack at age 72 in Falls Church, Virginia, and was survived by his wife, Geraldine, a son and a daughter.

Works Davies, W.E., (1949), Caverns of West Virginia; State of West Virginia: West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (Series: Geological and Economic Survey, Volume XIX. A.); 1958 revision (330 pgs) and a 1965 supplement (72 pages). Davies, W.E., (1950), The Caves of Maryland; State of Maryland: Department of Geology (Series: Mines and Water Resources, Bulletin 7; 70 pages) Davies, W.E. (1971), Historical Engineering Geology of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: Guidebook for the Geological Society of Washington, 10 pgs. Davies, William E.; Mast, Vernon; Ohlmacher, Gregory C. (1985), Landslides and related features, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky; Huntington; U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report: 85-656, Davies, W. E. (1986), Engineering aspects of karst U.S. Geological Survey, Davies, W.E. (1989), Highlights of the Geology and Engineering of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: 28th International Geological Congress Guidebook T206, American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C., 25 pgs. Morgan, I.M., Davies, W.E. (1991), Geology of caves U.S. Geological Survey, 19 pgs. Davies, W.E. (1999), The Geology and Engineering Structures of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal; C&O Canal Association, Glen Echo, Maryland, 617pgs. ISBN 9780875905716

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Edward Davies

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Edward Davies claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth 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 William Edward Davies 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 Edward Davies 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 Edward Davies

In research: William Edward Davies appears in earth 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 William Edward Davies 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 Edward Davies is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1917 births, 1990 deaths, 20th-century American geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Edward Davies 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 William Edward Davies in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William Edward Davies in simple terms?

William Edward Davies (December 24, 1917 – June 27, 1990) was a notable American geologist, speleologist and official of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Why does William Edward Davies matter?

Because it connects several earth 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 William Edward Davies?

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 Edward Davies.