Albert Beaumont Wood
Encyclopedia
Albert Beaumont Wood OBE
DSc
(1890–19 July 1964) was a British
physicist
, known for his pioneering work in the field of underwater acoustics
and sonar
.
Wood is a physicist best known for his work on developing sonar
(known at that time as 'ASDICS') in the UK from the First World War until after the Second World War. He graduated from Manchester University with First Class Honours in 1912, where he joined a team of notable scientists led by Sir Ernest Rutherford
(later Lord Rutherford), including Henry Moseley
, Hans Geiger, Niels Bohr
, Ernest Marsden
, James Chadwick
, George de Hevesy
and Charles Galton Darwin
. In 1914 he was appointed a research fellow at the University of Liverpool and then a Lecturer in Physics. He still kept in touch with Rutherford, who was working on underwater acoustics, and arranged for him to work on countering the German naval threat.
He joined the Board of Invention and Research in October 1915, shortly after its creation, to help with the UK war effort against Germany. Wood served the Admiralty in Aberdour, Parkstone Quay and Shandon working on a variety of acoustics projects. He joined the Admiralty Research Laboratory
in Teddington
when this body was formed in 1921, where he eventually became Deputy Superintendent. He was Deputy Superintendent of H M Signal School, Chief Scientist of H M Mining School and Deputy Director of Physical Research for the Royal Scientific Civil Service. Though he formally retired from the Admiralty Research Laboratories in 1950, he returned to continue his work on underwater sound. He spend a year at the US Naval Electronics Laboratory shortly before his death.
Wood married his wife Ethel in 1916. He was awarded his DSc degree by his university in 1919 and became a Fellow of the Physical Society in 1920. He was a founder member of the Institute of Physics. In 1930 he wrote the first edition of "Text Book of Sound" which was the standard work on the subject for many years. In 1939 A B Wood was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire
, in recognition of his work on dismantling a German magnetic mine at the start of the Second World War.
In 1951 he was awarded the Duddell Medal
by the Institute of Physics
http://www.iop.org/activity/awards/Senior_Awards/The_Duddell_Medal_and_Prize/Duddell_award_recipients/page_10137.html and in 1961 the Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal by the Acoustical Society of America
. http://asa.aip.org/awards.html
The A B Wood Medal
is awarded by the Institute of Acoustics
in his name.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DSc
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
(1890–19 July 1964) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, known for his pioneering work in the field of underwater acoustics
Underwater acoustics
Underwater acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water and its boundaries. The water may be in the ocean, a lake or a tank. Typical frequencies associated with underwater acoustics are between 10 Hz and...
and sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
.
Wood is a physicist best known for his work on developing sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
(known at that time as 'ASDICS') in the UK from the First World War until after the Second World War. He graduated from Manchester University with First Class Honours in 1912, where he joined a team of notable scientists led by Sir Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
(later Lord Rutherford), including Henry Moseley
Henry Moseley
Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley was an English physicist. Moseley's outstanding contribution to the science of physics was the justification from physical laws of the previous empirical and chemical concept of the atomic number. This stemmed from his development of Moseley's law in X-ray spectra...
, Hans Geiger, Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
, Ernest Marsden
Ernest Marsden
Sir Ernest Marsden was an English-New Zealand physicist. He was born in East Lancashire, living in Rishton and educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, where an inter-house trophy rewarding academic excellence bears his name.He met Ernest Rutherford at the University of Manchester...
, James Chadwick
James Chadwick
Sir James Chadwick CH FRS was an English Nobel laureate in physics awarded for his discovery of the neutron....
, George de Hevesy
George de Hevesy
George Charles de Hevesy, Georg Karl von Hevesy, was a Hungarian radiochemist and Nobel laureate, recognized in 1943 for his key role in the development of radioactive tracers to study chemical processes such as in the metabolism of animals.- Early years :Hevesy György was born in Budapest,...
and Charles Galton Darwin
Charles Galton Darwin
Sir Charles Galton Darwin, KBE, MC, FRS was an English physicist, the grandson of Charles Darwin. He served as director of the National Physical Laboratory during the Second World War.-Early life:...
. In 1914 he was appointed a research fellow at the University of Liverpool and then a Lecturer in Physics. He still kept in touch with Rutherford, who was working on underwater acoustics, and arranged for him to work on countering the German naval threat.
He joined the Board of Invention and Research in October 1915, shortly after its creation, to help with the UK war effort against Germany. Wood served the Admiralty in Aberdour, Parkstone Quay and Shandon working on a variety of acoustics projects. He joined the Admiralty Research Laboratory
Admiralty Research Laboratory
The Admiralty Research Laboratory, or ARL, was a research laboratory that supported the work of the UK Admiralty in Teddington, London, England....
in Teddington
Teddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
when this body was formed in 1921, where he eventually became Deputy Superintendent. He was Deputy Superintendent of H M Signal School, Chief Scientist of H M Mining School and Deputy Director of Physical Research for the Royal Scientific Civil Service. Though he formally retired from the Admiralty Research Laboratories in 1950, he returned to continue his work on underwater sound. He spend a year at the US Naval Electronics Laboratory shortly before his death.
Wood married his wife Ethel in 1916. He was awarded his DSc degree by his university in 1919 and became a Fellow of the Physical Society in 1920. He was a founder member of the Institute of Physics. In 1930 he wrote the first edition of "Text Book of Sound" which was the standard work on the subject for many years. In 1939 A B Wood was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, in recognition of his work on dismantling a German magnetic mine at the start of the Second World War.
In 1951 he was awarded the Duddell Medal
Duddell Medal and Prize
The Duddell Medal and Prize was a prize awarded annually by the Institute of Physics in the memory of William du Bois Duddell, the inventor of the electromagnetic oscillograph. The medal was instituted by the Council of The Physical Society in 1923. Between 1961 and 1973 the prize was awarded in...
by the Institute of Physics
Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
http://www.iop.org/activity/awards/Senior_Awards/The_Duddell_Medal_and_Prize/Duddell_award_recipients/page_10137.html and in 1961 the Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal by the Acoustical Society of America
Acoustical Society of America
The Acoustical Society of America is an international scientific society dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications.-History:...
. http://asa.aip.org/awards.html
The A B Wood Medal
A B Wood Medal
The A B Wood Medal is a prize awarded annually by the Institute of Acoustics for "distinguished contributions to the application of underwater acoustics". The prize, named after Albert Beaumont Wood, is presented in alternate years to European and North American scientists. Recipients of this...
is awarded by the Institute of Acoustics
Institute of Acoustics
The Institute of Acoustics is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1974. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers. The Institute's address is 77A St Peters Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3BN,...
in his name.