Lasers

by Hal Hellman
U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Division of Technical Information Understanding the Atom Series
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Nuclear energy is playing a vital role in the life of every man, woman, and child in the United States today. In the years ahead it will affect increasingly all the peoples of the earth. It is essential that all Americans gain an understanding of this vital force if they are to discharge thoughtfully their responsibilities as citizens and if they are to realize fully the myriad benefits that nuclear energy offers them.
The United States Atomic Energy Commission provides this booklet to help you achieve such understanding.
Edward J. Brunenkant, Director Division of Technical Information
UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman James T. Ramey Wilfrid E. Johnson Dr. Clarence E. Larson
by Hal Hellman
United States Atomic Energy Commission Division of Technical Information
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-60742 1968; 1969(rev.)
By HAL HELLMAN
The transistor burst upon the electronic scene in the 1950s. Almost overnight the size of new models of radios, television sets, and a host of other electronic devices shrank like deflating balloons. Suddenly the hard-of-hearing could carry their sound amplifiers in their ears. Teenagers could listen to favorite music wherever they went. Everywhere we turned the transistor was making its mark. There was even a proposal before Congress to require that every home have a transistor radio in case of emergency.