Matthew Sands
Encyclopedia
Matthew Sands is an American
physicist
and educator who is best known as a co-author of the Feynman Lectures on Physics.
Sands received his B.A. in physics
and mathematics
from Clark University
in 1940 and his M.A. in physics from Rice University
. After earning a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1948, Sands joined the MIT faculty. In 1950, he moved to the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) where he helped build and used a 1.5 Gev electron synchrotron
.
Sands was the first to show - theoretically and experimentally - the importance of quantum effects in electron accelerators
. He is also known for his work on beam instabilities, wake fields, beam-cavity interactions, and other phenomena.
In 1963 Sands became deputy director for the construction and early operation of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(SLAC). When Richard Feynman was debating whether to accept his 1965 Nobel Prize—due to a disdain for the added notoriety it might bring—Sands convinced Feynman that not accepting it would bring even more attention. He later joined the University of California, Santa Cruz
(UCSC) as a professor of physics and served as its vice chancellor for science from 1969 to 1972. Sands was an exacting professor, known to never provide answers to his difficult problem sets. After retiring from UCSC in 1985, Sands worked as a consultant for SLAC and also as a consultant for local K-12 schools in Santa Cruz
to develop computer systems and physics lab activities for students.
From 1960 to 1966, Sands served on the Commission on College Physics, which carried out a national program to modernize physics instruction in the colleges and universities of the United States. He also helped write the famous 1964 physics
textbook
Feynman Lectures on Physics with Richard P. Feynman
and Robert B. Leighton, based upon the lectures given by Feynman to undergraduate students at Caltech in 1961–63.
In 1972 he received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers
.
In 1998 The American Physical Society
awarded him the Robert R. Wilson
Prize "for his many contributions to accelerator physics and the development of electron-positron and proton colliders."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and educator who is best known as a co-author of the Feynman Lectures on Physics.
Sands received his B.A. in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
in 1940 and his M.A. in physics from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. After earning a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1948, Sands joined the MIT faculty. In 1950, he moved to the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
(Caltech) where he helped build and used a 1.5 Gev electron synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
.
Sands was the first to show - theoretically and experimentally - the importance of quantum effects in electron accelerators
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
. He is also known for his work on beam instabilities, wake fields, beam-cavity interactions, and other phenomena.
In 1963 Sands became deputy director for the construction and early operation of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S...
(SLAC). When Richard Feynman was debating whether to accept his 1965 Nobel Prize—due to a disdain for the added notoriety it might bring—Sands convinced Feynman that not accepting it would bring even more attention. He later joined the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
(UCSC) as a professor of physics and served as its vice chancellor for science from 1969 to 1972. Sands was an exacting professor, known to never provide answers to his difficult problem sets. After retiring from UCSC in 1985, Sands worked as a consultant for SLAC and also as a consultant for local K-12 schools in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
to develop computer systems and physics lab activities for students.
From 1960 to 1966, Sands served on the Commission on College Physics, which carried out a national program to modernize physics instruction in the colleges and universities of the United States. He also helped write the famous 1964 physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
Feynman Lectures on Physics with Richard P. Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
and Robert B. Leighton, based upon the lectures given by Feynman to undergraduate students at Caltech in 1961–63.
In 1972 he received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members that reside in over 30 countries. AAPT publications include two peer-reviewed journals, the American...
.
In 1998 The American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
awarded him the Robert R. Wilson
Robert R. Wilson
Robert Rathbun Wilson was an American physicist who was a group leader of the Manhattan Project, a sculptor, and an architect of Fermi National Laboratory , where he was also the director from 1967–1978....
Prize "for his many contributions to accelerator physics and the development of electron-positron and proton colliders."
External links
- Matthew Sands biography, American Physical Society
- Feynman RRichard FeynmanRichard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
, Leighton R, and Sands M. The Feynman Lectures on PhysicsThe Feynman Lectures on PhysicsThe Feynman Lectures on Physics is a 1964 physics textbook by Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands, based upon the lectures given by Feynman to undergraduate students at the California Institute of Technology in 1961–63. It includes lectures on mathematics, electromagnetism,...
. 3 volumes 1964, 1966.