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Herbert Goldstein (June 26, 1922 – January 12, 2005) was an American
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
and the author of the standard graduate textbook ''
Classical Mechanics Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical m ...
''.


Life and work

Goldstein, long recognized for his scholarship in classical mechanics and reactor shielding, was the author of the graduate textbook, Classical Mechanics. The book has been a standard text since it first appeared 50 years ago and has been translated into nine languages. He received a B.S. from
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
in 1940 and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1943. From 1942 to 1946, Goldstein was a staff member of the wartime Radiation Laboratory at
M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...
, where he engaged in research on the theory of waveguides and magnetrons and on the characteristics of radar echoes. He was an instructor in the Physics Department at Harvard University from 1946 to 1949. In 1949–50 he was an AEC postdoctoral Fellow at M.I.T., and served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Physics at
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pr ...
, 1952–53. From 1950, Goldstein was a Senior Physicist at Nuclear Development Corporation of America, where he directed theoretical research on the shielding of nuclear reactors and on neutron cross sections of interest for reactor design. Goldstein won the
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field. E. O. Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, an accelerator of subatomic part ...
in 1962 for his "contributions to reactor physics and to nuclear cross sections, and for his leadership in establishing a rational scientific basis for nuclear shield design". Goldstein was a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science since 1961. He received the Great Teacher Award, given by the Society of Columbia Graduates, in 1976. In 1977, he was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the shielding division of the American Nuclear Society. From 1961 Goldstein was a professor of nuclear science and engineering at Columbia University. In 1984, Goldstein was the first to hold the Thomas Alva Edison Professorship at the University. At the time of his death he was professor emeritus. He was a founding member and served as president of the
Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists The Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists (AOJS) is an organization of scientists that focuses on the interrelationships between science and halakha. The organization was established on December 28, 1947 during a meeting at the home of the O ...
. He was buried in Israel. He was survived by his wife, Channa; his children, Penina, Aaron Meir and Shoshanna; and 10 grandchildren.


Books

* H. Goldstein, ''Classical Mechanics'', Addison-Wesley, 1950. * H. Goldstein, ''Fundamental Aspects of Reactor Shielding'', Addison-Wesley, 1959. * H. Goldstein, ''Classical Mechanics (2nd Edition)'', Addison-Wesley, 1980. * H. Goldstein, J. L. Gross, R. E. Pollack, and R. B. Blumberg, ''The Scientific Experience'', Columbia University, 1996. * H. Goldstein, C. P. Poole, J. L. Safko, ''Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition)'', Addison-Wesley, 2001.


See also

* List of textbooks in classical and quantum mechanics


References


External links


Goldstein page at Columbia




1922 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American physicists Jewish American scientists American Orthodox Jews Columbia University faculty Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty Jewish physicists Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni City College of New York alumni Fellows of the American Physical Society 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews {{US-physicist-stub