Physicists and their work in the automotive industry

DEC 01, 1981

Fundamental and applied research on a broad range of topics, including combustion, friction, materials and catalysis is aimed at improving both vehicle performance and manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1063/1.2914375

Frank E. Jamerson

Nils L. Muench

“Among the many fields of present‐day physics which promise significant contributions to the automotive industry in the near future, is the physics of the ‘solid‐state’.” These words, spoken in a March 1938 address by Cornell University physicist Floyd K. Richtmyer, proved to be prophetic. Today, virtually every vehicle on the road has some solid‐state component in its electrical system. In fact, the newest American automobiles embody integrated circuit technology in the form of durable microcomputers, which are an essential part of electronic engine‐control systems. Such systems are just one example of the important role that physics has played in the progress of the US automotive industry.

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More about the authors

Frank E. Jamerson, General Motors Research Laboratories.

Nils L. Muench, General Motors Research Laboratories.