A noted physicist and researcher, Robert Hofstadter was best known for his research on the nucleus of the atom . During his several years of experimentation, Hofstadter discovered that protons and neutrons were complex components of the atom, and not as straightforward in design as previously conjectured. Hofstadter went on to expand on this discovery, and over the years he provided increasingly precise measurements of the components of an atom. For his contributions to the study of the atom, Hofstadter was awarded a share of the 1961 Nobel Prize in physics.

Born in New York City on February 5, 1915, Hofstadter was the third of four children born to Louis Hofstadter, a salesman, and Henrietta Koenigsberg. After attending public schools in New York City, Hofstadter entered the City College of New York (now the City University of New York), where he majored in physics, graduating with a B.S. in 1935. His degree...