Popov is a scientist physicist. The meaning of Popov Alexander Stepanovich in a brief biographical encyclopedia. The greatest invention of Popov A.S. - radio

Alexander was born in a small Ural village into the family of a priest. The first education in the biography of Alexander Popov was received at a theological school. Then he began to study at the Perm Theological Seminary. He received his higher education at the University of St. Petersburg. Those years in Popov’s biography were difficult. There were not enough funds, so Alexander could not devote all his time to study; he combined his studies with work.

Having become interested in physics, after graduating from university he began teaching in Kronstadt. Then he began to read physics at a technical school. Since 1901, he was a professor at the Electrical Engineering Institute of St. Petersburg, and after that its rector.

But the true passion in the biography of Alexander Stepanovich Popov was experiments. He devoted his free time to the study of electromagnetic oscillations. Using Lodge's receiver, Popov created a radio receiver, which he introduced in April 1895. Beginning in 1897, Alexander Popov conducted radiotelegraphic experiments on ships in his biography. At this time, Rybkin and Troetsky (Popov’s assistants) confirmed the possibility of receiving signals by ear, after which Popov modified the structure of his invention.

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Alexander Stepanovich Popov - Russian physicist and electrical engineer, professor, inventor, state councilor (1901), Honorary electrical engineer (1899).

Nevertheless, when the time came, A.S. Popov, due to lack of funds, was sent by his father to a theological school, where education and maintenance were free. After graduating from college, he entered the Perm Theological Seminary. And here Alexander Stepanovich found time to independently study the exact sciences, for which he even received the nickname “mathematician” from his comrades. It is quite understandable that a young man with such inclinations was not attracted to the career of a priest. After graduating from the seminary, A. S. Popov independently prepared for additional exams, successfully passed them, and at the age of eighteen, in 1877, he entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.

Having successfully graduated from the university in 1882 with a candidate's degree, A. S. Popov received an invitation to stay there to prepare for professorship in the department of physics. In 1882 he defended his dissertation on the topic “On the principles of magneto- and dynamoelectric direct current machines.” But the young scientist was more attracted to experimental research in the field of electricity, and he became a teacher of physics, mathematics and electrical engineering at the Mine Officer Class in Kronstadt, where there was a well-equipped physics room. In 1890, he received an invitation to the position of physics teacher at the Technical School of the Naval Department in Kronstadt.

During this period of time, A.S. Popov taught a course in higher mathematics and practical physics at the Marine Technical School and in the Mine Officer Class. Every summer he goes to Nizhny Novgorod, where he manages the electrical installations on the fair grounds. For nine years, the teacher of mathematics and physics managed a large energy enterprise at that time. As a member of the Elektrotekhnik society, A. S. Popov heads the construction of a number of power stations in Moscow, Ryazan and other cities. Work in this area made him a name as one of the best Russian energy specialists.

In 1893, A. S. Popov received a business trip to Chicago for an exhibition, where he had the opportunity to become closely acquainted with the latest achievements of electrical engineering and physics, in particular, with the experiments of Hertz, previously known to him only from literature. Of course, Hertz's experiments could not help but attract his attention. Prone to analogies and generalizations, he perceived the discovery of new "rays of electric force" as a factor of the greatest importance, confirming Maxwell's theory. Accustomed to approaching physical phenomena from a practical perspective, he immediately began to look for possible applications of these rays for transmitting signals over a distance.

In one of the documents concerning the nomination of A. S. Popov for awarding the Order of Stanislav, 2nd degree and dated 1894, it was said: “Collegiate Assessor A. S. Popov has been a teacher in the Mine Officer Class since 1883. During these 11 years he taught practical physics, a subject that he had to independently develop in accordance with the requirements of the galvanism and chemistry program and for which he compiled courses. During the illness of the galvanism teacher in 1883, he completely replaced him, taking upon himself the teaching of two subjects for almost the entire winter.
During this time, A. S. Popov acquired general respect and well-deserved fame as an excellent professor and serious scientist, sensitive to the development of science, the new acquisitions of which he always willingly shared through extremely interesting lectures and messages, which he read repeatedly in the Mine Class, the Naval Assembly in Kronstadt and the Maritime Museum in St. Petersburg. The Marine Technical Committee has repeatedly used his advice and opinion on electrical engineering issues.”

The date May 7, 1895 should be noted as having special significance in the history of radio communications and modern culture. On this day, Alexander Stepanovich Popov read a report “On the relationship of metal powders to electrical vibrations” at a meeting of the Russian Physical-Chemical Society and demonstrated the transmission of Morse code characters without the help of wires. A Ruhmkorff coil with a Hertz vibrator attached to it was used as a transmitter, and a circuit created by A. S. Popov, consisting of an antenna, a coherer, a relay and a device for restoring the sensitivity of the coherer, was used as a receiver. A. S. Popov ended his report with the words: “In conclusion, I can express the hope that my device, with further improvement, can be used to transmit signals over a distance using fast electrical oscillations, as soon as a source of such oscillations is found with sufficient energy " Thus, A.S. Popov was the first to point out the possibility of using Hertz waves for communication and confirmed this possibility with extremely convincing experiments.


Alexander Stepanovich Popov died suddenly on December 31, 1905 (January 13, 1906) from a stroke. He was buried on the Literatorskie Mostki of the Volkovskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg.


In many Western countries, Marconi is considered the inventor of radio, although other candidates are also named: in Germany Hertz is considered the creator of radio, in a number of Balkan countries - Nikola Tesla, in Belarus J. O. Narkevich-Iodka. The claim about Popov's priority is based on the fact that Popov demonstrated the radio receiver he invented at a meeting of the physics department of the Russian Physical-Chemical Society on April 25 (May 7), 1895, while Marconi filed an application for the invention on June 2, 1896. In Russia, this is accompanied by direct or indirect accusations of plagiarism against Marconi: it is assumed that his works of 1895 were not reflected anywhere (more precisely, they are known only from people close to him, whose impartiality is considered questionable in Russia), while at the same time in the application he used a circuit similar to the Popov receiver, the first description of the prototype of which was published in July 1895 with the release of the 2nd edition of “Fundamentals of Meteorology and Climatology” by D. A. Lachinov, which outlined the principle of operation of the “Popov discharge marker.”

Popov himself, from the beginning of 1897 (that is, from the appearance of the first newspaper reports about Marconi’s successes), began to actively defend his priority, supported in this by his relatives and colleagues. In the 1940s in the USSR his priority (including among scientists) was considered indisputable.

Vice Admiral S. N. ARKHIPOV

The significance of this discovery, which represents one of the greatest achievements of world science and technology, is determined by its exceptionally wide use in all areas of national economic life and by all branches of the Armed Forces. Invention by A.S. Popov opened a new era in the use of electromagnetic waves. It resolved the issue of communication not only between stationary but also between moving objects and at the same time prepared the way for a number of discoveries that made possible the widespread use of radio in all areas of science and technology.

Radio has become a part of life. It has become as indispensable to man as electricity. It is difficult to imagine at present any area of ​​science and technology where radio would not be used. It is widely used in industry and agriculture.

Radio acquired particular importance in military affairs. Radio communications were widely used in the army and navy in both the first and second world wars. Not a single branch of the military can now do without a wide variety of radio control, communication, and surveillance equipment. In World War II, in particular, radar was widely used. based on the phenomenon of reflection of radio waves, also discovered by A.S. Popov.

The Soviet people are rightfully proud that radio, the greatest achievement of mankind, was born in our country, and that the historical merit of the invention of radio belongs to a Russian scientist. The source of pride for every Russian sailor is that it was in the Russian navy that radio was first used as a means of communication.

Russian people honor the memory of their brilliant compatriot. Alexander Stepanovich Popov was born on March 4, 1859 in the Urals. Having received secondary education, he entered the physics and mathematics department of St. Petersburg University, after which he remained at the university to prepare for a professorship (in physics). Having a penchant for practical activities in electrical engineering, A.S. Polov in 1883 became a teacher at the Mine Officer Class in Kronstadt. This class at that time trained naval mine officers who were in charge of electrical engineering on ships.

Most of A.S.’s free time. Popov spent time in the physics laboratory, being interested in conducting experiments in electrical engineering. Clearly aware of the importance of wireless communications for the fleet, the scientist enthusiastically took up this matter. As a result of persistent experimental work by A.S. Popov, already at the beginning of 1895, developed the world's first radio receiver, which made it possible to record lightning discharges over considerable distances.

March 12, 1896 A.S. Popov together with P.N. Rybkin demonstrated the transmission of Morse signals over a distance of 200 m from one university building to another with recording on tape. It was the world's first radio broadcast of meaningful text. In the spring of 1897, Popov conducted communications experiments in the Kronstadt roadstead, achieving a reliable transmission range of 640 m. A few months later, Popov managed to transfer his work to ships, and he established communications between the warships "Europe" and "Africa" ​​at a distance of 5 km . By continuously improving his equipment, D.S. Popov step by step increased the communication range without wires.

For the first time for practical purposes, the invention of A.S. Popov was used in the late autumn of 1899 during the accident of the coastal defense battleship Admiral General Apraksin, which landed on rocks at the southern tip of the island. Gogland. In those days there was no connection between the island and the mainland. To provide guidance for the work of removing the battleship from the stones, Popov proposed organizing radio communications between Kotka and Gogland. Masts were erected on the shore, antennas were hung and equipment was installed. During the entire rescue operation, communication between the shore and the island, as well as communication with the battleship, was maintained via wireless telegraph.

At the same time, the radiotelegraph of A.S. Popov ensured the rescue of the fishermen who were on the broken ice floe. The order to the commander of the icebreaker "Ermak" to go to Lavensaari and provide assistance to the fishermen was transmitted from Kotka to Gogland via wireless telegraph. 27 fishermen were removed from the ice floe by Ermak.

In 1901 on the Black Sea A.S. Popov achieved reliable communication between ships at a distance of up to 150 km.

The practical value of A. S. Popov’s invention forced inert and incompetent tsarist officials to recognize the possibility of arming the fleet with wireless communication equipment. However, filled with disbelief in the ability of the Russian people to independently solve new technical problems, these officials did not provide Popov with the necessary funds. The intervention of the talented Russian naval scientist Vice Admiral S.O. did not help either. Makarova. At the cost of enormous efforts, a group of enthusiasts was organized under the leadership of A.S. Popov production of radio equipment in Kronstadt workshops.

Along with the work on radio communications A.S. Popov made another important discovery. In 1897, during experiments on radio communication between ships, he discovered the phenomenon of reflection of radio waves from a ship. The radio transmitter was installed on the upper bridge of the transport "Europe", which was at anchor, and the radio receiver was installed on the cruiser "Africa". In the report of the commission appointed to conduct these experiments, A.S. Popov wrote: “The influence of the ship’s environment is reflected in the following: all metal objects (masts, pipes, gear) should interfere with the operation of instruments both at the sending station and at the receiving station, because when they get in the way of the electromagnetic wave, they violate its correctness, partly similar to how a breakwater acts on an ordinary wave propagating over the surface of water, partly due to the interference of the waves excited in them with the waves of the source, i.e. they have an unfavorable effect.” And further: “The influence of an intermediate vessel was also observed. Thus, during the experiments, the cruiser “Lieutenant Ilyin” got caught between “Europe” and Africa, and if this happened at large distances, then the interaction of the instruments stopped until the ships left the same straight line ".

With this discovery A.S. Popov laid the foundation for a new means of observation - radar. The imperfection of technology did not allow it to be used to create practically acceptable devices. This took about 40 years. And when Americans widely advertise the “discovery” of the reflection of radio waves from ships, allegedly made by Taylor and Young in 1922, we must remember that this phenomenon was first discovered by the brilliant Russian scientist A.S. Popov 25 years before the Americans. No falsifier of history will be able to hide from humanity the fact that radio communications and radar, which are currently the main means of communication and observation, owe their appearance to the Russian scientist-inventor Alexander Stepanovich Popov.

The Russian Navy was the cradle of radio. Throughout the subsequent history of the development of radio technology, the Navy continued to remain advanced in terms of the level of radio communications. Radio was the main and most important means of communication in all operations carried out by our fleet in the Great Patriotic War.

Born on March 16 (March 4), 1859 in the Turinsky mines of the Verkhoturye district of the Perm province (now Krasnoturinsk, Sverdlovsk region) in the family of a priest. In the family, besides Alexander, there were six more children. Alexander Popov was sent to study first at an elementary theological school, and then in 1873 at a theological seminary, where children of the clergy were taught for free. At the seminary, he studied mathematics and physics with great enthusiasm and interest, although few hours were allocated to these subjects in the seminary program. After graduating from general education classes at the Perm Theological Seminary in 1877, Popov successfully passed the entrance exams to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.

Soon Alexander Popov attracted the attention of teachers. In his fourth year, he began to act as an assistant at lectures in physics - a rare case in the educational practice of the university. He also participated in the work of student scientific circles, trying to expand and expand knowledge of mathematical physics and electromagnetism.

In 1881, Popov began working in the Electrical Engineering society and participated in the installation of electric arc lighting (mainly differential lamps by Vladimir Chikolev) on Nevsky Prospekt, in gardens and public institutions, at train stations and factories, installed power plants, worked as an assembler at one of the first power plants in St. Petersburg, installed on a barge near the bridge over the Moika on Nevsky Prospekt.

After graduating from St. Petersburg University in 1882, Alexander Popov defended his dissertation. His dissertation “On the principles of magneto- and dynamoelectric direct current machines” was highly appreciated, and the Council of St. Petersburg University awarded him a candidate’s degree on November 29, 1882. Popov was left at the university to prepare for a professorship.

However, the working conditions at the university did not satisfy Alexander Popov, and in 1883 he accepted an offer to take the position of assistant in the Mine Officer Class in Kronstadt, the only educational institution in Russia in which electrical engineering occupied a prominent place and work was carried out on the practical use of electricity (in maritime affairs ). The well-equipped laboratories of the Mine School provided favorable conditions for scientific work. The scientist lived in Kronstadt for 18 years; all the major inventions and work on equipping the Russian fleet with radio communications are associated with this period of his life. From 1890 to 1900, Popov also taught at the Marine Engineering School in Kronstadt. From 1889 to 1899, in the summer, Alexander Popov was in charge of the electrical station at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

The activities of Alexander Popov, which preceded the discovery of radio, included research in the field of electrical engineering, magnetism and electromagnetic waves. 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 back in 1889. On May 7, 1895, at a meeting of the Russian Physical-Chemical Society, Alexander Popov made a report and demonstrated the world’s first radio receiver that he had created. Popov ended his message with the following words: “In conclusion, I can express the hope that my device, with further improvement, can be used to transmit signals over a distance using fast electrical oscillations, as soon as a source of such oscillations with sufficient energy is found.” This day went down in the history of world science and technology as the birthday of radio. Ten months later, on March 24, 1896, Popov, at a meeting of the same Russian Physicochemical Society, transmitted the world's first radiogram over a distance of 250 meters. In the summer of next year, the wireless communication range was increased to five kilometers.

In 1899, Popov designed a receiver for receiving signals by ear using a telephone receiver. This made it possible to simplify the reception circuit and increase the radio communication range.

In 1900, the scientist made communications in the Baltic Sea at a distance of over 45 kilometers between the islands of Gogland and Kutsalo, near the city of Kotka. This world's first practical wireless communication line served the rescue expedition to remove the battleship Admiral General Apraksin, which had landed on the rocks off the southern coast of Gogland.

The successful use of this line was the impetus for “the introduction of wireless telegraphy on combat ships as the main means of communication,” as stated the corresponding order from the Ministry of the Navy. Work on the introduction of radio communications in the Russian navy was carried out with the participation of the inventor of radio himself and his colleague and assistant Pyotr Nikolaevich Rybkin.

In 1901, Alexander Popov became a professor at the St. Petersburg Electrotechnical Institute, and in October 1905, its first elected director. The worries associated with fulfilling the responsible duties of the director undermined Popov’s health, and he died suddenly on January 13, 1906 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Two days before his death, Alexander Popov was elected chairman of the physics department of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society.

Alexander Stepanovich Popov not only invented the world's first radio receiver and carried out the world's first radio transmission, but also formulated the most important principles of radio communication. He developed the idea of ​​amplifying weak signals using relays, invented the receiving antenna and grounding; created the first marching army and civilian radio stations and successfully carried out work that 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 Grand Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in 1900 in Paris. Special recognition of Popov’s merits was the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, adopted in 1945, which established Radio Day (May 7) and established a gold medal named after. A.S. Popov, awarded by the USSR Academy of Sciences for outstanding works and inventions in the field of radio (since 1995 awarded to the Russian Academy of Sciences).

Born on March 16 (March 4), 1859 in the Turinsky mines of the Verkhoturye district of the Perm province (now Krasnoturinsk, Sverdlovsk region) in the family of a priest. In the family, besides Alexander, there were six more children. Alexander Popov was sent to study first at an elementary theological school, and then in 1873 at a theological seminary, where children of the clergy were taught for free. At the seminary, he studied mathematics and physics with great enthusiasm and interest, although few hours were allocated to these subjects in the seminary program. After graduating from general education classes at the Perm Theological Seminary in 1877, Popov successfully passed the entrance exams to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University.

Soon Alexander Popov attracted the attention of teachers. In his fourth year, he began to act as an assistant at lectures in physics - a rare case in the educational practice of the university. He also participated in the work of student scientific circles, trying to expand and expand knowledge of mathematical physics and electromagnetism.

In 1881, Popov began working in the Electrical Engineering society and participated in the installation of electric arc lighting (mainly differential lamps by Vladimir Chikolev) on Nevsky Prospekt, in gardens and public institutions, at train stations and factories, installed power plants, worked as an assembler at one of the first power plants in St. Petersburg, installed on a barge near the bridge over the Moika on Nevsky Prospekt.

After graduating from St. Petersburg University in 1882, Alexander Popov defended his dissertation. His dissertation “On the principles of magneto- and dynamoelectric direct current machines” was highly appreciated, and the Council of St. Petersburg University awarded him a candidate’s degree on November 29, 1882. Popov was left at the university to prepare for a professorship.

However, the working conditions at the university did not satisfy Alexander Popov, and in 1883 he accepted an offer to take the position of assistant in the Mine Officer Class in Kronstadt, the only educational institution in Russia in which electrical engineering occupied a prominent place and work was carried out on the practical use of electricity (in maritime affairs ). The well-equipped laboratories of the Mine School provided favorable conditions for scientific work. The scientist lived in Kronstadt for 18 years; all the major inventions and work on equipping the Russian fleet with radio communications are associated with this period of his life. From 1890 to 1900, Popov also taught at the Marine Engineering School in Kronstadt. From 1889 to 1899, in the summer, Alexander Popov was in charge of the electrical station at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

The activities of Alexander Popov, which preceded the discovery of radio, included research in the field of electrical engineering, magnetism and electromagnetic waves. 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 back in 1889. On May 7, 1895, at a meeting of the Russian Physical-Chemical Society, Alexander Popov made a report and demonstrated the world’s first radio receiver that he had created. Popov ended his message with the following words: “In conclusion, I can express the hope that my device, with further improvement, can be used to transmit signals over a distance using fast electrical oscillations, as soon as a source of such oscillations with sufficient energy is found.” This day went down in the history of world science and technology as the birthday of radio. Ten months later, on March 24, 1896, Popov, at a meeting of the same Russian Physicochemical Society, transmitted the world's first radiogram over a distance of 250 meters. In the summer of next year, the wireless communication range was increased to five kilometers.

In 1899, Popov designed a receiver for receiving signals by ear using a telephone receiver. This made it possible to simplify the reception circuit and increase the radio communication range.

In 1900, the scientist made communications in the Baltic Sea at a distance of over 45 kilometers between the islands of Gogland and Kutsalo, near the city of Kotka. This world's first practical wireless communication line served the rescue expedition to remove the battleship Admiral General Apraksin, which had landed on the rocks off the southern coast of Gogland.

The successful use of this line was the impetus for “the introduction of wireless telegraphy on combat ships as the main means of communication,” as stated the corresponding order from the Ministry of the Navy. Work on the introduction of radio communications in the Russian navy was carried out with the participation of the inventor of radio himself and his colleague and assistant Pyotr Nikolaevich Rybkin.

In 1901, Alexander Popov became a professor at the St. Petersburg Electrotechnical Institute, and in October 1905, its first elected director. The worries associated with fulfilling the responsible duties of the director undermined Popov’s health, and he died suddenly on January 13, 1906 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Two days before his death, Alexander Popov was elected chairman of the physics department of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society.

Alexander Stepanovich Popov not only invented the world's first radio receiver and carried out the world's first radio transmission, but also formulated the most important principles of radio communication. He developed the idea of ​​amplifying weak signals using relays, invented the receiving antenna and grounding; created the first marching army and civilian radio stations and successfully carried out work that 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 Grand Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in 1900 in Paris. Special recognition of Popov’s merits was the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, adopted in 1945, which established Radio Day (May 7) and established a gold medal named after. A.S. Popov, awarded by the USSR Academy of Sciences for outstanding works and inventions in the field of radio (since 1995 awarded to the Russian Academy of Sciences).