Annex 3: Examples of British inventors
Charles Babbage:
A mathematician, philosopher, and mechanical engineer. He invented
the Difference Engine, the first information processor and the
precursor to the computer.
John Logie Baird: An engineer.
He invented the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated
television system and the first fully electronic colour television
tube.
Henry Bessemmer: An engineer,
inventor and businessman. He developed the Bessemer process, the
first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of
steel. His many other inventions include the embossed stamp, cheap
lead pencils and the spinning mortar shell.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel:
An innovative engineer. He is famous for his bridges and for constructing
the first major British railway.
Christopher Cockerell:
An engineer. He invented the hovercraft.
Humphry Davy: A chemist
and inventor. He is known as a pioneer in the field of electrolysis
and for the discovery of new elements, including potassium and
calcium. He also invented the Davy Lamp, for use in coal mines.
Paul Dirac: A theoretical
physicist. He is one of the founders of quantum mechanics and
quantum electrodynamics.
Michael Faraday: A chemist
and physicist. He made major contributions to the fields of electromagnetism
and electrochemistry. He also invented electromagnetic rotary
devices which form the foundation of electric motor technology.
Alexander Fleming: A
biologist and pharmacologist. He discovered the enzyme lysozyme
and the antibiotic substance penicillin.
John Ambrose Fleming:
An electrical engineer and physicist. He invented the first thermionic
valve, also known as a vacuum tube. These were critical to the
development of electronic technology. He also invented the right-hand
rule, used in mathematics and electronics.
John Harrison: A self-educated
clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, which can be used
to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation, revolutionising
long distance sea travel.
Ada Lovelace: A writer.
She produced notes on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose
computer, including what is recognised as the first algorithm
intended to be processed by a machine. She is regarded as the
world's first computer programmer and she foresaw the capability
of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching.
James Clerk Maxwell: A
theoretical physicist and mathematician. He developed a unified
theory of electromagnetism which is the basis of the IT industry.
Isaac Newton: A physicist,
mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. He built the first
practical reflecting telescope and developed a theory of colour
based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into
the many colours that form the visible spectrum. He is best known
for describing universal gravitation and the three laws of motion.
Percy Shaw: An inventor
and businessman. He patented the reflective road stud or "cat's
eye" and set up a company to manufacture the invention.
George Stephenson: A
mechanical engineer. He built the first public railway line
in the world to use steam locomotives. The subsequent development
of the railways acted as a stimulus for the industrial revolution.
Thomas Telford: An engineer,
architect and stonemason. He is known for his work on roads, bridges
and canals.
Henry Tizard: A chemist
and inventor. He devised the concept of octane numbers and championed
the development of RDF (radio-direction finding), which later
became more familiarly known as radar.
Alan Turing: A mathematician
and computer scientist. He provided a formalisation of the concept
of the algorithm and computation with the "Turing machine"
which played a significant role in the creation of the modern
computer.
James Watt: A mechanical
engineer. He improved the steam engine by introducing a design
enhancement which radically improved the power, efficiency, and
cost-effectiveness. He also developed the concept of horsepower.
The standard unit of power, the Watt, is named after him.
Frank Whittle: A British
Royal Air Force engineer. He developed the jet engine.
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