Appleton, Sir Edward Victor, 1892-1965 (physicist and principal of the University of Edinburgh)

Person

Dates

Existence: 1892 - 1965

Biography

Appleton was born in Bradford and educated at local schools and St John's College, Cambridge where he was awarded first class honours and several prizes in both parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos (1913, 1914). He began research at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge with W.L. Bragg, but during his service in the Army Signals in the First World War he developed the interest in valves and 'wireless' signals which informed his subsequent research career. He returned to the Cavendish Laboratory in 1919, continuing to work on valves and, with B. van der Pol, on non-linearity, and on atmospherics. In 1924, in collaboration with M.F. Barnett, he performed a crucial experiment which enabled a reflecting layer in the atmosphere to be identified and measured; subsequent research indicated the existence of more than one reflecting layer. From 1924 to 1936 Appleton was Wheatstone Professor of Physics at King's College, London, directing research teams and, in 1932, heading an expedition to Tromsö in northern Norway as part of the programme of observations scheduled for the Second International Polar Year

He was President of the International Union of Scientific Radio (URSI), 1934-1952. In 1936 he succeeded C.T.R. Wilson in the Jacksonian Chair of Natural Philosophy at Cambridge, where he continued collaborative research on many ionospheric problems, including solar and lunar tides in the E-layer. From September 1936 he served on the re-constituted Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defence (the 'Tizard Committee'), and in October 1938 was appointed successor to Sir Frank Smith as Secretary to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). He remained at the DSIR throughout the Second World War and until 1948 when he was appointed Principal of Edinburgh University. He took up the appointment in May 1949 and remained in office until his death in 1965. Appleton was elected FRS in 1927 (Bakerian Lecture 1937, Hughes Medal 1933, Royal Medal 1950) and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1947 for his investigations into the ionosphere. He was knighted in 1941.

Topics

University of Edinburgh -- Principal

Found in 833 Collections and/or Records:

Report on oblique incidence propagation research at Harvard, by W.R. Piggott, 1950

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.286

Scope and Contents

Report on oblique incidence propagation research at Harvard, by W.R. Piggott. Sent with a covering letter on current U.S.A. projects, dated 1950.

Dates: 1950

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / Radio Reception

Report on wave interaction and Program of Joint Meeting of U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale], 1947

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.362

Scope and Contents

The material consists of two copies of report on wave interaction by Radio Research Board for U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale] 8th General Assembly, May 1947; and Program of joint meeting, Washington, October 1947.

Dates: 1947

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / U.R.S.I [Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale/International Union of Radio Science]

Reports and data, mainly of early observations of phenomena, 1936-1941

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.354

Scope and Contents

The material consists of reports and data, mainly of early observations of phenomena, sent to Edward Appleton dated 1936-1941. The name of the sender is missing or illegible.

Dates: 1936-1941

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / Solar Noise / Correspondence / Reports and printed matter

Research notes from R. Naismith and L. J. Ingram, some annotated by Edward Appleton, c. 1936-1937

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.82

Scope and Contents

Research notes from R. Naismith and L. J. Ingram, some annotated by Edward Appleton, c. 1936-1937.

Dates: c. 1936-1937

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / F layer / Data and correspondence

Research notes, summaries of results, notes on the literature, narratives, etc., c. 1952-1954

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.139

Scope and Contents

Research notes, summaries of results, notes on the literature, narratives, etc. 1 page of the material is by Edward Appleton, and all the rest are in the hand of A.J. Lyon. One piece is dated 1952 and the others are undated, c. 1952-54.

Dates: c. 1952-1954

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / General Ionospheric Topics / Data and correspondence

Ring-back loose-leaf notebook, labelled 'Tromsö', c. 1932-1935

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.310

Scope and Contents Ring-back loose-leaf notebook, labelled 'Tromsö', both ends of book used. The material consists of the following: at front of the book there is a sequence of runs at Tromsö, 23 July- 13 August by Edward Appleton, 30 August-6 September by G. Builder. It continues with typescript data of critical frequencies at Slough October-November 1932, Appleton's manuscript notes on the literature, Chapman, Lormor, etc. At the rear of the book is a journal by Appleton, beginning on a train from London, 9...

Dates: c. 1932-1935

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / Second Polar Year

Ring-back notebook, with a few loose pages inserted, c. 1934-1951

File

Identifier: Coll-37/C.256

Scope and Contents Ring-back notebook, with a few loose pages inserted. The material consists of typescript and manuscript notes, mainly on radar, reflection coefficient and similar topics, including notes on the literature, summaries of wartime research reports and committee meetings, notes of discussions, visits to laboratories and research stations, ideas for research, etc. It mainly runs from 1941-1943, but also includes a few references from 1939, and press-cuttings on 'Radar and the weather', dated...

Dates: c. 1934-1951

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / Radar

S, 1965

File

Identifier: Coll-37/A.54

Scope and Contents

Letters of condolence received on Sir Edward Appleton's death, "S", 1965.

Dates: 1965

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Biographical and personal / Letters of condolence received on Sir Edward Appleton's death

Seasonal Anomaly, c. 1930s-1945

Sub-Series

Identifier: Coll-37/C.301-C.303

Scope and Contents

The material in this sub-series, little of which is dated, is scanty and refers mainly to work done in the 1930s with data up to 1945. Edward Appleton did further research on the subject of seasonal variation in the 1950s with the assistance of A.J. Lyon and C.P. Bell. It consists of 3 files.

Dates: c. 1930s-1945

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics

Sequence of drafts, data and correspondence exchanged chiefly with R. Naismith, 1936-1940

sub-subseries

Identifier: Coll-37/C.39-C.43

Scope and Contents

Sequence of drafts, data and correspondence exchanged chiefly with R. Naismith, mainly on research, analyses of results and drafting of collaborative papers on E-layer. Naismith's material is usually dated and Appleton's notes, comments and suggestions have been tentatively assigned a place on internal evidence.

Dates: 1936-1940

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers of Sir Edward Victor Appleton / Research topics / E layer

Appleton, Sir Edward Victor, 1892-1965 (physicist and principal of the University of Edinburgh)

Dates

Biography

Topics

Found in 833 Collections and/or Records:

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