biology

William Pearsall

William Pearsall is a biology 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 Pearsall rather than just read about it. In short: William Harold Pearsall (23 July 1891 – 14 October 1964) was a British botanist, Quain Professor of Botany at University College London 1944–1957. Awards and honours Pearsall was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1940.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

William Harold Pearsall (23 July 1891 – 14 October 1964) was a British botanist, Quain Professor of Botany at University College London 1944–1957.

Awards and honours Pearsall was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1940. His nomination reads:Distinguished for his researches on the ecology of aquatic vegetation, his investigations on growth and nitrogen metabolism, and his contributions on general ecology. His elucidation of the factors determining the distribution of aquatic plants in the British lakes is fundamental and has markedly promoted research in freshwater biology. His study of the conditions affecting growth and development of Algae open up a little-touched field. As Honorary Director of the Laboratory at Wray Castle he played a very considerable part in stimulating the rapid development of the research-programme. He has for a number of years edited the 'Yorkshire Naturalist'.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Pearsall

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

In research: William Pearsall appears in biology 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 Pearsall 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 Pearsall is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1891 births, 1964 deaths, Academics of University College London, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Pearsall 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “William Pearsall” →

Affiliate

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

How to study William Pearsall in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is William Pearsall in simple terms?

William Harold Pearsall (23 July 1891 – 14 October 1964) was a British botanist, Quain Professor of Botany at University College London 1944–1957. Awards and honours Pearsall was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1940.

Why does William Pearsall matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Pearsall?

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 Pearsall.