physics

William H. Parker (physicist)

William H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) rather than just read about it. In short: William H. Parker (born 1941) is an American professor of physics and academic administrator at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William H. Parker (born 1941) is an American professor of physics and academic administrator at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Parker's earliest laboratory research involved seminal experiments that refined the precision of the measurements of fundamental constants. His later research focused on superconductors and other aspects of solid-state physics. In an administrative capacity at UCI, Parker has served in a variety of roles including as Dean, Department Chair, and Vice Chancellor.

Education and research Parker earned a bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in 1963. He obtained MS and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He then joined the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCI in 1967 and he has remained there for his entire career. He was a Sloan Research Fellow from 1968 to 1970. In collaboration with Donald N. Langenberg and Barry N. Taylor, Parker used the alternating current Josephson effect to precisely measure e/h, the ratio of the elementary charge (e) to the Planck constant (h). This ratio could then also be used to refine the value of other fundamental constants such as the fine-structure constant (α). The new measurement of α removed a discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental values of the hyperfine splitting in the ground state of atomic hydrogen, one of the major unsolved problems of quantum electrodynamics at time. For this research, Parker received the John Price Wetherill Medal from the Franklin Institute in 1975. Parker's other research examined Josephson junctions and other aspects of low temperature physics including quasiparticle and phonon lifetimes, quasiparticle energy distribution in superconducting films, surface impedance, and thermal fluctuations in superconducting materials.

Administration and teaching At UCI, Parker has been Associate Vice Chancellor (1984 to 2000), Vice Chancellor for Research (2000–2006), Dean of Graduate Studies (2000 to 2006), Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy (2007 to 2012), and president of the university's Irvine Campus Housing Authority (1983–1990). He has won the Daniel G. Aldrich Jr. Distinguished University Service Award (1980 and 2008) and the UCI Medal (2009), UCI's highest award. Parker has twice won the School of Physical Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award. Parker is coauthor of the book The Fundamental Constants and Quantum Electrodynamics.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William H. Parker (physicist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist)

In research: William H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, Allegheny College alumni, American academic administrators, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William H. Parker (physicist) in simple terms?

William H. Parker (born 1941) is an American professor of physics and academic administrator at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Why does William H. Parker (physicist) 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 H. Parker (physicist)?

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 H. Parker (physicist).