Education
Halliday attended the University of Pittsburgh both as an undergraduate student and a graduate student, receiving his Doctor of Philosophy in physics in 1941.
Halliday attended the University of Pittsburgh both as an undergraduate student and a graduate student, receiving his Doctor of Philosophy in physics in 1941.
Both textbooks have been in continuous use since 1960 and are available in more than 47 languages. During World World War II, he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Radiation Laboratory developing radar techniques. In 1946 he returned to Pittsburgh as an assistant professor and spent the rest of his career there.
In 1950, he wrote Nuclear Physics, which became a classic text and was translated into four languages.
In 1951 Halliday became the Department Chair, a position he held until 1962. His Physics has been used widely and is considered to have revolutionized physics education by many.
Now in its tenth edition in a two-volume set revised by Jearl Walker, and under the title Fundamentals of Physics, it is still highly regarded. lieutenant is noted for its clear standardized diagrams, very thorough but highly readable pedagogy, outlook into modern physics, and challenging, thought provoking problems.
In 2002 the American Physical Society named the work the most outstanding introductory physics text of the 20th century.
Halliday died at the age of 94 on April 2, 2010. He was living in Maple Falls, Washington. His doctoral students include John Wheatley.