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Physics and New York City

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The Physical Tourist
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Abstract

When I was approached by the editors of Physics in Perspective to prepare an article on New York City for The Physical Tourist section, I was happy to do so. I have been a New Yorker all my life, except for short-term stays elsewhere on sabbatical leaves and other visits. My professional life developed in New York, and I married and raised my family in New York and its environs. Accordingly, writing such an article seemed a natural thing to do. About halfway through its preparation, however, the attack on the World Trade Center took place. From my apartment house I watched as the South Tower collapsed. Writing about New York and the role it has played in the history of physics in the United States and the world has now taken on a very different meaning.

Benjamin Bederson is Professor of Physics Emeritus at New York University and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, American Physical Society.

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© 2009 Birkhäuser Verlag Basel, Switzerland

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Bederson, B. (2009). Physics and New York City. In: Rigden, J.S., Stuewer, R.H. (eds) The Physical Tourist. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8933-8_12

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