Max Jammer (מקס ימר; born Moshe Jammer, ; April 13, 1915 – December 18, 2010), was an Israeli
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 cau ...
and
philosopher of physics. He was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. He was Rector and Acting President at
Bar-Ilan University from 1967 to 1977.
Biography
Jammer studied physics, philosophy and
history of science, first at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hi ...
, and then from 1935 at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
, where he received a PhD in experimental physics in 1942. He served in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
for the rest of the war.
Jammer then returned to Hebrew University, where he lectured on the history and philosophy of science, before moving in 1952 to
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
. He subsequently became a lecturer there and a close colleague of
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...
at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. He taught at Harvard, the
University of Oklahoma, and
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
, before in 1956 establishing the Department and becoming Professor of Physics at
Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
He was Rector and Acting President (succeeding
Joseph H. Lookstein
Joseph Hyman Lookstein (Hebrew: ; December 25, 1902 – July 13, 1979) was a Russian-born American rabbi who served as spiritual leader of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and was a leader in Orthodox Judaism, ...
, and succeeded by
Emanuel Rackman) at
Bar-Ilan University from 1967 to 1977. He also co-founded the Institute for Philosophy of Science at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
, and was president of the
Association for the Advancement for Science in Israel. He was Visiting Professor at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Z ...
, the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
, the
Institut Henri Poincaré
The Henri Poincaré Institute (or IHP for ''Institut Henri Poincaré'') is a mathematics research institute part of Sorbonne University, in association with the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). It is located in the 5th arrond ...
,
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., and other universities in the United States and Canada.
He is the father of Rabbi Michael Yammer,
Rosh Yeshiva,
Yeshivat Shaalvim.
Awards
Awards received by Jammer include:
* the 1984
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
, awarded for history of science;
* the 2003
EMET Prize
The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture is an Israeli prize awarded annually for excellence in academic and professional achievements that have far-reaching influence and make a significant contribution to society.
Prizes are awarded in the fol ...
awarded by the Prime Minister of Israel;
* the 2007
Abraham Pais Prize for
History of Physics, awarded by the
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...
;
* the Monograph Prize of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
; and
* a prize for 'an outstanding book on theology and natural sciences' from the
Templeton Foundation.
Selected publications
* ''Concepts of Space: The History of Theories of Space in Physics''. Cambridge (Mass): Harvard University Press, 1954; New York: Harper, 1960; 2nd ed: Cambridge: Harvard U.P., 1969; 3rd ed: New York: Dover, 1993. . (Foreword by Albert Einstein)
* ''Concepts of Force: A Study in the Foundations of Dynamics''. Cambridge (Mass): Harvard U.P., 1957 New York: Harper, 196
New York: Dover, 1999
* ''Concepts of Mass in Classical and Modern Physics''. Cambridge (Mass): Harvard U.P., 1961 New York: Harper, 1964 New York: Dover, 1997.
* ''Concepts of Mass in Contemporary Physics and Philosophy''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton U.P., 2000.
* ''The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics''. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966
2nd ed: New York: American Institute of Physics, 1989.
* ''The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics: The Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics in Historical Perspective''. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1974.
* ''
Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1999. hardbound. paperback
* ''Concepts of Simultaneity: From Antiquity to Einstein and Beyond''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins U.P., 2006.
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
References
External links
* Max Jammer, ''2007 Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics Recipient'', American Physical Society, Prizes, Awards & Fellowships
APS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jammer, Max
1915 births
2010 deaths
Israeli physicists
Historians of physics
Philosophers of cosmology
Israel Prize in history of science recipients
Israel Prize in exact science recipients
EMET Prize recipients in the Humanities
University of Vienna alumni
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Harvard University faculty
Princeton University faculty
Bar-Ilan University faculty
University of Oklahoma faculty
Boston University faculty
Columbia University faculty
Catholic University of America faculty
Jewish physicists
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine
Presidents of universities in Israel
British Army personnel of World War II