XI Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2019

Alexander Stepanovich Popov, a scientist and inventor of radio, was born on March 16 (March 4) in 1859 in the Turyinsky mines of the Verkhotursky district of the Perm province into a priestly family. Alexandra Popova was sent to study first in the elementary religious school, and then in 1873 in a theological seminary. After graduating from general education classes at the Perm Theological Seminary in 1877, Popov successfully passed the entrance exams to the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of St. Petersburg University.

In 1881, Popov began working in the “Electrical Engineering” society and participated in the installation of electric arc lighting (mainly Vladimir Chikolev’s differential lamps) on Nevsky Prospect, in gardens and public institutions, at railway stations and factories, installed power plants, worked as a fitter power plants of St. Petersburg, mounted on a barge near the bridge across the Moika on Nevsky Prospect.

After graduating from St. Petersburg University in 1882, Alexander Popov defended his thesis. His dissertation "On the principles of magnetic and dynamo-electric DC machines" was highly appreciated, and the Council of St. Petersburg University awarded him the degree of candidate on November 29, 1882. Popov was left at the university to prepare for a professorship.

In 1883, he accepted the offer to take the position of assistant at the Mine officer class in Kronstadt, the only educational institution in Russia where electrical engineering had a prominent place and work was being done on the practical application of electricity (in the maritime business).

The activities of Alexander Popov, which preceded the discovery of radio, are studies in the field of electrical engineering, magnetism and electromagnetic waves. The works in this area led the scientist to the conclusion that electromagnetic waves can be used for wireless communication. He expressed this idea in public reports and speeches as early as 1889. On May 7, 1895, at a meeting of the Russian Physico-Chemical Society, Alexander Popov delivered a report and demonstration of the first radio receiver he created in the world. This day entered the history of world science and technology as the birthday of radio. After 10 months, March 24, 1896, at the meeting of the same Russian Physico-Chemical Society, Popov transmitted the first radiogram in the world to a distance of 250 meters. In the summer of next year, the range of wireless communication was increased to five kilometers.

In 1899, Popov constructed a receiver for receiving hearing signals using a handset. This made it possible to simplify the reception scheme and increase the radio communication range.

In 1900, the scientist made a connection in the Baltic Sea at a distance of over 45 kilometers between the islands of Gogland and Kutsalo, near the city of Kotka.

In 1901, Alexander Popov became a professor at the St. Petersburg Electrotechnical Institute, and in October 1905 - its first elected director. Concerns related to the performance of responsible duties of the director, shaken Popov's health, and he died suddenly on January 13, 1906 from a cerebral haemorrhage.

Two days before the death of Alexander Popov, they were elected chairman of the physical department of the Russian Physico-Chemical Society.

Alexander Stepanovich Popov not only invented the world's first radio receiver and carried out the world's first radio program, but also formulated the main principles of radio communication. He developed the idea of ​​amplifying weak signals with a relay, invented a receiving antenna and grounding; created the first marching army and civilian radio stations and successfully carried out work, which proved the possibility of using radio in the ground forces and in aeronautics.

The works of Alexander Popov were highly appreciated both in Russia and abroad: Popov's receiver was awarded the Big Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in 1900 in Paris.

Sources of information

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleksandr-Popov-Russian-engineer

http://www.madehow.com/inventorbios/93/Aleksandr-Stepanovich-Popov.html

https://persona.rin.ru/eng/view/f/0/34299/popov-alexander-stepanovich

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/famous-people/alexander-popov/