physics

William Francis Magie

William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie rather than just read about it. In short: William Francis Magie (1858–1943) was an American physicist, a founder of the American Physical Society (president from 1910 to 1912) and the first professor of physics at Princeton University, where he had graduated (class valedictorian, 1879) and where he served for two decades as dean of the faculty. His papers on the contact angle of liquids and solids and on the specific heat of solutions were notable, as was h…

Key takeaways

William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of William Francis Magie from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

William Francis Magie (1858–1943) was an American physicist, a founder of the American Physical Society (president from 1910 to 1912) and the first professor of physics at Princeton University, where he had graduated (class valedictorian, 1879) and where he served for two decades as dean of the faculty. His papers on the contact angle of liquids and solids and on the specific heat of solutions were notable, as was his text Principles of Physics. He was an elected member of the American Philosophical Society (1896).

Personal views Magie served as the president of the Men's Anti-Suffrage League of New Jersey. In this capacity, he argued that women's suffrage would ruin the family structure, destroy gender roles, and "undermine civilization."

Selected works Magie, William Francis, editor, translator. (1899). The Second Law of Thermodynamics at Google Books: Memoirs by Carnot, Clausius and Thomson. Magie, William Francis. (1911). Principles of physics, designed for use as a textbook of general physics. New York: Century. Principles of physics at Google Books Magie, William Francis. (1935). A Source Book in Physics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Includes selections and translations of classic works in physics. A source book in physics at Google Books

Notes

External links Finding aid for William Francis Magie papers at Princeton

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Francis Magie

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie

In research: William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1858 births, 1943 deaths, American anti-suffragists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William Francis Magie in simple terms?

Why does William Francis Magie 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 Francis Magie?

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 Francis Magie.