author
Sir J. A. (John Ambrose) Fleming
1849–1945
A pioneer of electronics, he helped shape the early age of radio with the invention of the thermionic valve and with practical ideas that made electrical science easier to use and teach.
2 Audiobooks
Waves and ripples in water, air, and æther : Being a course of Christmas lectures delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain
by Sir J. A. (John Ambrose) Fleming
Hertzian Wave Wireless Telegraphy
by Sir J. A. (John Ambrose) Fleming
About the author
Born in Lancaster, England, in 1849, this British electrical engineer and physicist studied at University College London and later at Cambridge, where he worked under James Clerk Maxwell. He went on to become a leading teacher and researcher in electrical engineering, and he spent many years at University College London.
He is best remembered for inventing the thermionic valve, or Fleming valve, in 1904. That breakthrough became a key building block in early radio and electronics, and his work also contributed to wireless telegraphy. Many students of physics and engineering still know his name from Fleming’s right-hand rule.
Knighted for his contributions, he remained active well into old age and died in 1945. His career sits at the point where Victorian science turned into the electronic world of the 20th century.