William Shockley : The will to think / Bo Lojek.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lojek, Bo.

Series:

Springer biographies 2365-0613

Springer Biographies, 2365-0613

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shockley, William, 1910-1989.

Shockley, William.

Physicists--United States--Biography.

Physicists.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Cham : Springer, 2021.

System Details:

text file PDF

Summary:

This book takes a fresh look at the work, thoughts, and life of 1956 Nobel Prize winner William B. Shockley. It reconstructs Shockley's upbringing, his patriotic achievements during World War II, his contribution to semiconductor physics culminating with the epoch-making invention of the transistor and his views on the social issues of his time. The author's unparalleled access to Shockley's personal documents provides insight into a colorful, yet controversial, man, and also sheds light on the attitudes of other prominent scientists of that era. Shockley was not only an outstanding scientist in his own right but also a fiercely independent thinker in perpetual search of the truth. His contributions to the field known today as microelectronics are enormous and unmatched. This book explores the critical facets of Shockley's life, replete with never-before-published photos and excerpts from his private correspondence and personal notebooks. The book also delves into Shockley's views on genetics and human intelligence. It tells the story of a man beset by an unrelenting rationality, slandered by the popular media, and ultimately alienated by his peers. It discusses his controversial, although sometimes prescient, ideas regarding human genetics, putting these into the context of modern research findings. Today, William Shockley is perhaps just as enigmatic as his work and accomplishments. The author presents a convincing argument that Shockley still has much to say about the issues of our age, and many of his ideas deserve evaluation in the public forum.

Contents:

History: An Engineering View

About This Book

Prologue: The Enigma of Shockley

Mother and Father

The Son Billy

Jean and Emmy

Bell Telephone Laboratories

The Nuclear Reactor

World War II Hero

The Precursors of translating Apparatus

The three Electrode Circuit Element Utilizing Semiconductor Material

The Junction Transistor

Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory

Thinking About Thinking Improves Thinking

Moral Philosophy as Applied Science

Epilogue

Appendix: Shockley's Patents, Papers and Presentations.

Notes:

Includes index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed June 7, 2021).

ISBN:

9783030659585

3030659585

9783030659592

3030659593

9783030659608

3030659607

OCLC:

1253353724

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.