Introduction
A Royal Commission observed in 1819 that while metric measurements do have clear advantages, for many practical purposes imperial measurements are actually more convenient. One of the members of this remarkably sensible Commission was Dr William Wollaston (1766-1828), a man of unimpeachable scientific pedigree.
AFTER graduating in medicine from Gonville and Caius in 1793, and practising as a rural doctor in Cambridgeshire for a few years, William Wollaston came into family money and settled in London, free to indulge his passion for chemistry.
He developed a process for producing platinum which he kept a closely-guarded secret, and from which he made a small fortune. In doing so, he also discovered the elements palladium and rhodium. Wollaston studied both electromagnetism, leading directly to Faraday’s groundbreaking electric motor in 1831, and refrigeration, devising the ingenious ‘cryophorus’ to show how evaporating gases can freeze water. In optics, he invented the meniscus lens now commonly used in spectacles.
A visitor once asked to see the laboratory where Wollaston worked, apparently expecting some kind of Aladdin’s cave. Wollaston drew him into a little study, and pointed to an old tea-tray littered with watch crystals, litmus paper, and a miniature scales.* “There” he said “is all the laboratory that I have!”
Litmus testing for acids and bases was introduced by Robert Boyle (1627-1691).
Précis
William Wollaston was a medical doctor who in the early 1800s turned his attentions to chemistry. His researches in electricity foreshadowed the work of Michael Faraday, he discovered two new elements, and developed innovative lenses now widely used by opticians. Remarkably, these historic achievements came from the simplest of working environments and equipment. (53 / 60 words)
William Wollaston was a medical doctor who in the early 1800s turned his attentions to chemistry. His researches in electricity foreshadowed the work of Michael Faraday, he discovered two new elements, and developed innovative lenses now widely used by opticians. Remarkably, these historic achievements came from the simplest of working environments and equipment.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, besides, despite, if, just, not, ought, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Common. Practice. Some.
2 All. Doing. Lead.
3 Direct. Passion. Use.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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