Discover
Discover

Share

Download
Features
/
Article

Office of Technical Services of the Department of Commerce

DEC 01, 1951
The Commerce Department is obliged by law to accumulate technical information of all sorts and to make it available to the public. Its Office of Technical Services has been assigned these responsibilities. A brief picture of the OTS in action is provided in the following article.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3067100

Dwight E. Gray

Is my invention for disintegrating army tanks at several hundred yards any good? What is the best adhesive to use in laminating leather to glass when the product is to be used in a warm, humid climate? What technical reports are available on the refractive indices of transparent plastics? These particular queries, as far as I know, are imaginary, but they serve to illustrate the kinds of questions to which J. Horace Taxpayer can obtain answers from the Office of Technical Services (OTS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Before discussing these services separately, let us look briefly at the genealogy and present organization of the OTS.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the Authors

Dwight E. Gray. Library of Congress.

© 1951 American Institute of Physics
Related content
Features
/
Article
A brief guide to science outreach
Figuring out how to communicate with the public can be overwhelming. Here’s some advice for getting started.
December 16, 2025 04:38 PM
Features
/
Article
The urgent need for research governance of solar geoengineering
Amid growing investment in planetary-scale climate intervention strategies that alter sunlight reflection, global communities deserve inclusive and accountable oversight of research.
December 15, 2025 12:05 PM
Features
/
Article
Superconducting quantum circuits: At the heart of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics
Although motivated by the fundamental exploration of the weirdness of the quantum world, the prizewinning experiments have led to a promising branch of quantum computing technology.
November 25, 2025 03:04 PM
Features
/
Article
Solid-state batteries: Hype, hopes, and hurdles
As conventional lithium-ion battery technology approaches its theoretical limits, researchers are studying alternative architectures with solid electrolytes.
November 10, 2025 10:22 AM
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1951_12.jpeg

Volume 4, Number 12

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.