J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967)
Author of The Open Mind
About the Author
An American physicist, born in New York City, Robert Oppenheimer graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude in 1925. He made significant contributions to the development of quantum mechanics and was the key figure in the rapid development of the first atom bomb. After extensive study with show more key researchers in Britain and Germany (he received his Ph.D. in 1927 from the University of Gottingen), Oppenheimer returned to the United States to establish and run simultaneously two influential schools of theoretical physics, at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. Theoretical physics had never before been studied with such intensity in the United States. During the 1930s, he made numerous contributions to atomic and nuclear physics. Oppenheimer and his students developed almost all consequences of the Dirac theory of the electron, including the predicted positively charged electron, discovered by Carl Anderson in 1932 and named the position. Oppenheimer also published early papers, theoretically discussing black holes and neutron stars. These papers were ignored by astronomers for many years. Oppenheimer is best known to the general public as the leader of the successful American effort to develop the atom bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico (1942--45). In 1947 he was appointed director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. After the war, Oppenheimer made powerful enemies by his opposition to the development of the hydrogen bomb and by his public proposals for international control of atomic energy. In 1954, during the McCarthy era, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) declared him a "security risk," thereby greatly disturbing many scientists. In 1963, AEC reversed its position, nominating Oppenheimer for its Fermi Prize in recognition of his many achievements. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Works by J. Robert Oppenheimer
Lectures on Electrodynamics 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Оппенгеймер, Роберт
- Birthdate
- 1904-04-22
- Date of death
- 1967-02-18
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- шахматист (аматор)
- Awards and honors
- BBC Reith Lecturer (1953)
Enrico Fermi Award (1963) - Relationships
- Oppenheimer, Frank (brother)
- Nationality
- USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
This is a collection of eight lectures delivered between 1946 and 1955. They are a record of the change and growth over 10 years in the thinking of one of the outstanding scholars of his generation. The entire book is thus an illustration of its central statement of the values to society of the open mind. Here is the author's definition of his belief in this: :An indispensable, perhaps the indispensable, element in giving meaning to the dignity of man, and in the making possible the taking show more of decision on the basis of honest conviction, is the openness of men's minds, and the openness of whatever media there are for communion between men, free of restraint, free of repression, and free even of that most pervasive of all restraints, that of status and hierarchy. show less
A reprinting of a series of lectures on science history (mainly physics) and science in the community given over the B.B.C. in 1953 by Professor Oppenheimer. Not exciting reading, but clear and aimed at the interested layman, and useful fodder for a term paper I wrote in college. Oppenheimer has a unique perspective on the topic, having been the director of the Los Alamos laboratory where the first atomic bombs were made.
Really good. I loved reading this book.
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 18
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 348
- Popularity
- #68,678
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 6
- ISBNs
- 22
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 1