author
Robert Williams Wood
1868–1955
Known for bold, hands-on experiments, this inventive physicist helped open up the worlds of ultraviolet and infrared photography. He also had a playful side, writing science fiction and light verse alongside his scientific work.
4 Audiobooks
The Moon Maker
by Arthur Cheney Train, Robert Williams Wood
The Man Who Rocked the Earth
by Arthur Cheney Train, Robert Williams Wood
How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers: A Manual of Flornithology for Beginners
by Robert Williams Wood
About the author
Born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1868, Robert Williams Wood became one of the most original experimental physicists of his era. He studied at Harvard and pursued further work at Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago, and the University of Berlin before building his career in optics and spectroscopy.
Wood is especially remembered for pioneering work with ultraviolet and infrared light, along with influential experiments in physical optics. He spent much of his professional life at Johns Hopkins University, where he succeeded Henry Rowland as professor of experimental physics.
Beyond the laboratory, he was known for curiosity, wit, and a taste for unusual problems. That lively mix of serious science and imagination helped make him a memorable figure both in physics and in popular writing.