David C. Cassidy

Last updated
David C. Cassidy
Born (1945-08-10) August 10, 1945 (age 78)
Education Rutgers University (BA, MS)
OccupationHistorian
Awards Pfizer Award (1993)
Abraham Pais Prize (2014)

David C. Cassidy (born August 10, 1945) is an American historian of science and professor emeritus at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York. He is best known for his contributions to the history of quantum mechanics, scientific biography, history of physics in Germany and the United States and, most recently, science-history drama. [1]

Contents

Education

Born on August 10, 1945, in Richmond, Virginia, Cassidy attended schools in Detroit, Michigan; Louisville, Kentucky; and northern New Jersey. His father, trained in history and business, was a labor-relations executive at the Ford Motor Company. His mother, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, became a librarian. He received the BA (1967) and MS (1970) degrees in physics at Rutgers University. His PhD (1976) was awarded in a unique arrangement involving Purdue University (physics) and the University of Wisconsin Madison (history of science). He completed his dissertation on Werner Heisenberg's route to quantum mechanics under the guidance of Daniel M. Siegel (Wisconsin history of science), Norman Pearlman (Purdue physics), and Vernard Foley (Purdue history). [2]

Career

1976–1977. Research fellow with John L. Heilbron, Office for History of Science and Technology, University of California Berkeley.
1977–1980. Research fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation with Armin Hermann, University of Stuttgart, Germany. [3]
1980–1983. Assistant professor with Imre Toth, University of Regensburg, Germany.
1983–1990. Associate editor, The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volumes 1 and 2, in Princeton and Boston. [4]
1990–2015. Associate and full professor, Hofstra University.
2015–present. Professor emeritus, Hofstra University.

Honors

Cassidy's honors and awards include the History of Science Society's Pfizer Award, the American Institute of Physics' Science Writing Award, the Abraham Pais Prize [5] of the American Physical Society, and an Honorary Doctorate of Science awarded by Purdue University.

Books

Related Research Articles

The Copenhagen interpretation is a collection of views about the meaning of quantum mechanics, stemming from the work of Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and others. While "Copenhagen" refers to the Danish city, the use as an "interpretation" was apparently coined by Heisenberg during the 1950s to refer to ideas developed in the 1925–1927 period, glossing over his disagreements with Bohr. Consequently, there is no definitive historical statement of what the interpretation entails.

A photon is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless particles that always move at the speed of light measured in vacuum. The photon belongs to the class of boson particles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werner Heisenberg</span> German theoretical physicist (1901–1976)

Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist, one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics, and a principal scientist in the Nazi nuclear weapons program during World War II. He published his Umdeutung paper in 1925, a major reinterpretation of old quantum theory. In the subsequent series of papers with Max Born and Pascual Jordan, during the same year, his matrix formulation of quantum mechanics was substantially elaborated. He is known for the uncertainty principle, which he published in 1927. Heisenberg was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the creation of quantum mechanics".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Pauli</span> Austrian physicist (1900–1958)

Wolfgang Ernst Pauli was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after having been nominated by Albert Einstein, Pauli received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or Pauli principle". The discovery involved spin theory, which is the basis of a theory of the structure of matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Born</span> German-British physicist and mathematician (1882–1970)

Max Born was a German-British physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 1930s. Born was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics for his "fundamental research in quantum mechanics, especially in the statistical interpretation of the wave function".

In philosophy, the philosophy of physics deals with conceptual and interpretational issues in physics, many of which overlap with research done by certain kinds of theoretical physicists. Historically, philosophers of physics have engaged with questions such as the nature of space, time, matter and the laws that govern their interactions, as well as the epistemological and ontological basis of the theories used by practicing physicists. The discipline draws upon insights from various areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of science, while also engaging with the latest developments in theoretical and experimental physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Sommerfeld</span> German theoretical physicist (1868–1951)

Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld, was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and mentored many students for the new era of theoretical physics. He served as doctoral supervisor and postdoc supervisor to seven Nobel Prize winners and supervised at least 30 other famous physicists and chemists. Only J. J. Thomson's record of mentorship offers a comparable list of high-achieving students.

Quantum mechanics is the study of matter and its interactions with energy on the scale of atomic and subatomic particles. By contrast, classical physics explains matter and energy only on a scale familiar to human experience, including the behavior of astronomical bodies such as the moon. Classical physics is still used in much of modern science and technology. However, towards the end of the 19th century, scientists discovered phenomena in both the large (macro) and the small (micro) worlds that classical physics could not explain. The desire to resolve inconsistencies between observed phenomena and classical theory led to a revolution in physics, a shift in the original scientific paradigm: the development of quantum mechanics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gian Carlo Wick</span> Italian theoretical physicist

Gian Carlo Wick was an Italian theoretical physicist who made important contributions to quantum field theory. The Wick rotation, Wick contraction, Wick's theorem, and the Wick product are named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Zee</span> Chinese-American physicist

Anthony Zee is a Chinese-American physicist, writer, and a professor at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the physics department of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Jammer</span> Israeli physicist and philosopher of physics

Max Jammer, was an Israeli physicist and philosopher of physics. He was born in Berlin, Germany. He was Rector and Acting President at Bar-Ilan University from 1967 to 1977.

Carl Henry Eckart was an American physicist, physical oceanographer, geophysicist, and administrator. He co-developed the Wigner–Eckart theorem and is also known for the Eckart conditions in quantum mechanics, the Eckart–Young theorem in linear algebra., and his work on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and continuum mechanics, including a relativistic treatment

Edwin Crawford Kemble was an American physicist who made contributions to the theory of quantum mechanics and molecular structure and spectroscopy. During World War II, he was a consultant to the Navy on acoustic detection of submarines and to the Army on Operation Alsos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Writing Award</span> Award for excellence in writing about science

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) instituted their Science Writing Award to "promote effective science communication in print and broadcast media in order to improve the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and allied science fields." The winner receives $3000, and an engraved Windsor chair. The award is given in three broad categories: 1) science writing, 2) work intended for children, and 3) work done in new media. The AIP stopped issuing awards to three categories: 1) work by a professional journalist 2) work by a scientist, and 3) broadcast media

The Planck constant, or Planck's constant, denoted by , is a fundamental physical constant of foundational importance in quantum mechanics: a photon's energy is equal to its frequency multiplied by the Planck constant, and the wavelength of a matter wave equals the Planck constant divided by the associated particle momentum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Orzel</span> Professor of Physics and Science Author

Chad Orzel is a professor of physics and science author, noted for his books How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, which has been translated into 9 languages, and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog. Chad as a science communicator is a regular contributor on Forbes.com, on his personal website, and, through October 2017, on ScienceBlogs.com, while continuing his work as an associate professor at Union College.

<i>Uncertainty</i> (book) Biography of Werner Heisenberg by David C. Cassidy

Uncertainty: the Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg is a biography by David C. Cassidy documenting the life and science of Werner Heisenberg, one of the founders of quantum mechanics. The book was published in 1992 by W. H. Freeman and Company while an updated and popularized version was published in 2009 under the title Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and The Bomb. The book is named after the quantum mechanics concept known as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. It has been reviewed many times and was generally well received.

<i>Beyond Uncertainty</i> Biography of Werner Heisenberg by David C. Cassidy

Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb is a biography of Werner Heisenberg by David C. Cassidy. Published by Bellevue Literary Press in 2009, the book is a sequel to Cassidy's 1992 biography, Uncertainty: the Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg and serves as an updated and popularized version of the work. The release of new material after the 1992 publication of the first book rekindled controversy surrounding Heisenberg and his role in the German nuclear weapons program, resulting in the need for an updated version of the biography. The book's name is adapted from the first biography, whose title is taken from Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Suh Kim</span> Korean physicist, academic, author and researcher

Young Suh Kim is a Korean physicist, academic, author and researcher. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland.

Helmut Rechenberg was a German physicist and science historian.

References

  1. "APS Physics | FHP | Recipient". Aps.org. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  2. ""Werner Heisenberg and the Crisis in Quantum Theory, 1920-1925." by David C. Cassidy". Docs.lib.purdue.edu: 1–536. 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  3. Martin Barth. "Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften und Technik". Uni-stuttgart.de. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  4. 1 2 "Digital Einstein Papers Home". Einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  5. "APS Physics | FHP | David C. Cassidy Wins 2014 Abraham Pais Prize". Aps.org. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  6. Noer, Richard J. (1996). "Review of Einstein and Our World by David C. Cassidy". American Journal of Physics. 64 (10): 1341. doi:10.1119/1.18439.
  7. "Werner Heisenberg: A Bibliography of His Writings, by David Cassidy". History.aip.org. 2001-03-29. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  8. David C. Cassidy. "Understanding Physics". Dcassidybooks.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  9. "Plunkett Lake Press". Plunkett Lake Press. 2005-09-22. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  10. Lippincott, Sara (8 March 2009). "Review of Beyond Uncertainty by David C. Cassidy". Los Angeles Times.
  11. David C. Cassidy (2011-10-24). A Short History of Physics in the American Century. Harvard University Press. ISBN   9780674062740 . Retrieved 2017-07-10.