physics

William L. McMillan

William L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan rather than just read about it. In short: William L. McMillan (January 13, 1936 – August 30, 1984) was an American physicist noted for his research of condensed matter physics.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William L. McMillan (January 13, 1936 – August 30, 1984) was an American physicist noted for his research of condensed matter physics.

McMillan was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, professor of physics at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences McMillan received the 1978 Fritz London Memorial Prize for his work in superconductors. The National Academies Press called him "the ablest condensed matter physicist of his generation". The University of Illinois established an award in his name: The William L. McMillan Award. The electron-phonon coupling in superconductors is described by the McMillan parameter.

Life and career 1936 born in Little Rock, Arkansas 1958: BS, University of Arkansas (Electrical Engineering) 1959: MS, University of Arkansas (Physics) 1964: PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1964–1972: Bell Laboratories, Member, Technical Staff 1972–1984: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Professor of Physics 1978 Fritz London Memorial Prize for his work on superconductors 1982: elected to National Academy of Sciences 1983: elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1983 1984: Died of an accident at age 48

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William L. McMillan

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan

In research: William L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1936 births, 1984 deaths, 20th-century American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William L. McMillan in simple terms?

William L. McMillan (January 13, 1936 – August 30, 1984) was an American physicist noted for his research of condensed matter physics.

Why does William L. McMillan 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 L. McMillan?

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 L. McMillan.