Eugene Hecht

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Eugene Hecht (born 2 December 1938 in New York City) is an American physicist and author of a standard textbook in optics.

Hecht studied at New York University (B.S. in E.P. 1960), Rutgers University (M. Sc. 1963), Adelphi University (Ph.D. 1967). During his graduate study he worked at Radio Corporation of America. His pedagogical work began in 1970 with a publication on a mathematical description of polarization. [1] Adelphi University hired Hecht to teach and he became professor in 1978, from where he retired in 2021.

Hecht challenged the notion of potential energy in 2003. [2] The elusive nature of a universal definition of energy was argued by Hecht in a letter to the editor of The Physics Teacher in 2004. [3] In 2006 he wrote "there is no really good definition of mass." [4] He has continued writing on the topic, with publications in 2011 and 2016. [5] [6]

Eugene Hecht has also written on American ceramic artist George E. Ohr and is a founding member of the American Ceramic Arts Society.

Books

His first textbook Optics was authored in 1974 alongside Alfred Zajac, a colleague at Adelphi. [7] In 1975, Hecht wrote Theory and Problems of Optics for Schaum's Outlines. Hecht is the sole author of his 1998 third edition of Optics. [8] Other works include:

Brooks/Cole published a review of Physics: calculus in 1996, in which reviewers "found something intriguing on every page." [9] Hecht contributed to a celebration of potter George Ohr after his workshop was consumed in fire. [10] [11]

References

  1. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (1970). "Note on an Operational Definition of the Stokes Parameters". American Journal of Physics. 38 (9). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): 1156–1158. Bibcode:1970AmJPh..38.1156H. doi:10.1119/1.1976574. ISSN   0002-9505.
  2. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (2003). "An Historico-Critical Account of Potential Energy: Is PE Really Real?". The Physics Teacher. 41 (8). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): 486–493. Bibcode:2003PhTea..41..486H. doi:10.1119/1.1625210. ISSN   0031-921X.
  3. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (2004). "Energy and Work". The Physics Teacher. 42 (L2). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): L1 –L3. Bibcode:2004PhTea..42R...1H. doi:10.1119/1.1787752. ISSN   0031-921X.
  4. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (2006). "There Is No Really Good Definition of Mass". The Physics Teacher. 44 (1). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): 40–45. Bibcode:2006PhTea..44...40H. doi:10.1119/1.2150758. ISSN   0031-921X.
  5. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (2011). "On Defining Mass". The Physics Teacher. 49 (1). American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT): 40–44. Bibcode:2011PhTea..49...40H. doi:10.1119/1.3527755. ISSN   0031-921X.
  6. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (2016-09-20). "Relativity, potential energy, and mass". European Journal of Physics. 37 (6). IOP Publishing: 065804. Bibcode:2016EJPh...37f5804H. doi:10.1088/0143-0807/37/6/065804. ISSN   0143-0807.
  7. ↑ Hecht, E.; Zajac, A.; Stavroudis, Orestes (1975). "Optics". Physics Today. 28 (2). AIP Publishing: 54–55. Bibcode:1975PhT....28b..54H. doi:10.1063/1.3068822. ISSN   0031-9228.
  8. ↑ "Review: Optics, Second edition, Sky & Telescope July 1988
  9. ↑ Amy J. Kolan & Amy E. Larsen (1997) "An introductory physics text that conveys the author's enthusiasm", Physics Today 50(4) 65 doi : 10.1063/1.881732
  10. ↑ Clark, Garth; Ellison, Robert A.; Hecht, Eugene (1989). The Mad Potter of Biloxi: The Art & Life of George E. Ohr. New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN   978-0-89659-927-7.
  11. ↑ Hecht, Eugene (1994). After the Fire: George Ohr, an American genius. Lambertville, NJ: Arts and Crafts Quarterly Press. ISBN   978-0-9637896-9-3.
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