Sir Edward Victor Appleton (1892–1965) was an English physicist. This winner of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physics proved the existence of the ionosphere during experiments carried out in 1924.
Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Appleton studied at St John’s College, Cambridge, and was appointed assistant demonstrator in experimental physics at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1920. His researches on the propagation of wireless waves led to his appointment as Wheatstone Professor of Physics at London University (1924.)
In 1936, Appleton returned to Cambridge as Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy. In 1939, he became Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and in 1949 was appointed Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh University.
In 1947, Appleton won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution towards exploring the ionosphere. His work revealed a layer of electrically charged particles in the upper atmosphere (the Appleton layer,) which plays an essential part in making wireless communication possible between distant stations. It was fundamental to the development of radar.
Appleton became the principal and the vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh in 1949.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Edward Victor Appleton
I rate enthusiasm even above professional skill.
—Edward Victor Appleton
Topics: Success, Enthusiasm
I do not mind what language an opera is sung in, so long as it is in a language I do not understand.
—Edward Victor Appleton
Topics: Language
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