The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-28
.Dietz on Science
WAY is PAVED
FOR MARCONI AS
RADIO PIONEER
Accomplishment in Field
Made Possible by Pre-
deCeSS0rS.
BY DAVID DIET/
Scripps- Houard Science Editor

Marconi frequently is called the
father n radio But IL IS well %
remember that radio also had many
grandfather
Marconi justly is famous because
he took the radio out Of the labOra-
tory and made il capable Of doing
real work in the everyday world
But Marconi could rot have done
81 II j. had not been for the many
laboratory workers who preceded
him
Sir Oliver Lodge great physicist
and one Of the pioneers in radio,
told about the early days in that
field in an address before the Brit
ISL Association for the Advance
ment Of Science.
AS one gets older Lodge said
people seem 20 think that one S
duty is 10 b. a historian Of the
times during which one has lived.
Recalls Oscillation Theory
Unfortunately I have not been
trained as a historian and am.
therefore. incompetent 10 do more
than Just trade upon my reminis-
cences which are liable 70 be rather
one-sided and not 70 satisfy the
conditions for serious and reliable
history without prejudice or favorit-
ism
Looking back. then, over my life
time the first stem 10 attract my
attention was a paper on Transient
Currents. written by Lord Kelvin in
1853. wherein he gave the theory
Of electric oscillations IN mastery
manner. considering that the idea Of
self-inducti0n was not then born.
He knew. however. that an cleo
trio charge could be stored in con-
denser. after the same fashion as
energy is stored in a bent or coiled
spring. so that the condenser received
and stored up electric energy. which
IL would subsequently give out when
released That was the first step.
Slows Down Spark
Lord Kelvin. Sir Oliver Lodge
continues. also knew that the dis
cha rye Of the condenser was an
oscillating one. like the swing Of a
loaded pendulum. first IN one direc-
ton and then in the other Lord
Kelvin knew that the spark of the
electric discharge was really a sue
cession Of sparks. first in one direc-
ton and then IN another
Sir Oliver tells how he succeeded
in slowing down the oscillations of
the spark by the use of very large
condenSers until the vibrations APP
preached those of musical notes and
the sound OF the spark actually was
a musical note.
Il exhibited this musical note at
the Royal Institution in what I
called a whistling spark, Lodge
related
Waves Radiate in Space
When such sparks took place. ra-
dio waves We're at the same time
radiating into space But, Sir Oliver
continues. we did not know that
there was such radiation, nor did
Lord Kelvin
We knew. or might have thought,
that such radiation was possible, by
the analogy of a tuning fork A
struck or excited tuning fork gives
sound vibrations
"A genius might have surmised
that. as the tuning fork vibrates
in air. so the discharge Of Ley
den lar or other condenser. being a
vibration in the ether. might pos
sibly carve the ether into waves and
emit energy in that way. That is
what happens. but no one sus-
pected 1t for a long time
we had no sense for such waves
and could not tell that they we're
being emitted even when We made
the experiment We were in the
condition OF a deaf person striking
tuning fork or bell