The Man Who Invented the Laser: The Genius of Theodore H. Maiman

Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies

by Edwin Brit Wyckoff

Maiman was a graudate of the University of Colorado, which awarded him a B.S. in engineering physics in 1949. Later, he received his Ph.D. in physics in 1955 from Stanford University and began work at the Hughes Research Laboratory (HRL). There he concentrated on creating a device capable of converting mixed frequency electromagnetic radiation into highly amplified and coherent light of discrete frequency. Maiman later found that the accepted calculations of the fluorescence quantum efficiency of ruby were wrong and that the material could be used for his research. His persistence with ruby eventually paid off, for on May 16, 1960, the device he built using it became the worlds first operable laser (acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).

48 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lead to this book by looking up another inventor that we had a project on. I knew my grandson who loves to fiddle with inventing stuff and games would enjoy this.

I also love to see how inventive minds work and also realize how much effort and perseverance goes into making an idea into a reality.

Great series of books. I would highly recommend them all.

[Johnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written biography for kids.