Arnold Lynch
Encyclopedia
Arnold Lynch was an English engineer, known for his work on an optical tape reader which was used in the construction of the Colossus
, the first electronic computer. A 10 Colossus computers were installed at Bletchley Park
and used to read high-level German ciphers.
Lynch joined the Post Office Research Station
in 1936, specialising in the measurement of the electrical and magnetic properties of materials. He retired in 1974, but continued to come to work at NPL
in the dielectric
area of RF and microwave electromagnetism up to the year of his death.
The Maths and Technology Department at Dame Alice Owen's School
was named after Lynch in thanks for his work during his time at the school and his success as a scientist.
Colossus computer
Not to be confused with the fictional computer of the same name in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.Colossus was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer. Colossus and its successors were used by British codebreakers to help read encrypted German messages during World War II...
, the first electronic computer. A 10 Colossus computers were installed at Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
and used to read high-level German ciphers.
Lynch joined the Post Office Research Station
Post Office Research Station
The Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, London, was first established in 1921 and opened by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in 1933.In 1943 the world's first programmable electronic computer, Colossus Mark 1 was built by Tommy Flowers and his team, followed in 1944 and 1945 by nine...
in 1936, specialising in the measurement of the electrical and magnetic properties of materials. He retired in 1974, but continued to come to work at NPL
National Physical Laboratory, UK
The National Physical Laboratory is the national measurement standards laboratory for the United Kingdom, based at Bushy Park in Teddington, London, England. It is the largest applied physics organisation in the UK.-Description:...
in the dielectric
Dielectric
A dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field. When a dielectric is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material, as in a conductor, but only slightly shift from their average equilibrium positions causing dielectric...
area of RF and microwave electromagnetism up to the year of his death.
The Maths and Technology Department at Dame Alice Owen's School
Dame Alice Owen's School
Dame Alice Owen's School is a mixed voluntary aided secondary school in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, England, founded in the London Borough of Islington.-Admissions:...
was named after Lynch in thanks for his work during his time at the school and his success as a scientist.