Introduction -- Founded on cheese -- Scenes in the story -- Frank and his family -- A life of science -- Electrical science and engineering 1810-19 -- Who invented the electric telegraph? -- The grand tour -- A sulphur business opportunity? -- Perspective tracing instruments -- Dr Alexander Blair and the Carnac megaliths -- Science exhibitions: a glimpse into Ronalds' mechanical inventions 1824-41 -- Kew Observatory 1842-55 and beyond -- Atmospheric electricity and meteorology: instruments and observations -- Photographic recording instruments for meteorology and geomagnetism -- Last years and legacy.

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Kew Observatory was originally built in 1769 for King George III, a keen amateur astronomer, so that he could observe the transit of Venus. By the mid-nineteenth century, it was a world-leading center for four major sciences: geomagnetism, meteorology, solar physics, and standardization. Long before government cutbacks forced its closure in 1980, the observatory was run by both major bodies responsible for the management of science in Britain: first the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and then, from 1871, the Royal Society. Kew Observatory influenced and was influenced by many of the larger developments in the physical sciences during the second half of the nineteenth century, while many of the major figures involved were in some way affiliated with Kew. Lee T. Macdonald explores the extraordinary story of this important scientific institution as it rose to prominence during the Victorian era. His book offers fresh new insights into key historical issues in nineteenth-century science: the patronage of science; relations between science and government; the evolution of the observatory sciences; and the origins and early years of the National Physical Laboratory, once an extension of Kew and now the largest applied physics organization in the United Kingdom.

Telecommunications is a major global industry, and this unique book chronicles the development of this complex technology from the electric telegraph to the Internet in a simple, accessible, and entertaining way. The book opens with the early years of the electric telegraph. The reader will learn how the Morse telegraph evolved into an international network that spanned the globe, starting with the development of international undersea cables, and the heroic attempts to lay a trans-Atlantic cable. The book describes the events that led to the invention of the telephone, and the subsequent disputes over who had really invented it. It takes a look at some of the most important applications that have appeared on the Internet, the mobile revolution, and ends with a discussion of future key developments in the telecommunications industry.

Tracing the development of the Moog synthesizer from its initial conception to its ascension to stardom in 'Switched-on Bach', this text conveys the consequences of a technology that would provide the soundtrack for a chapter in cultural history.

This textbook contains all the materials that an engineer needs to know to start a career in the semiconductor industry. It also provides readers with essential background information for semiconductor research. It is written by a professional who has been working in the field for over two decades and teaching the material to university students for the past 15 years. It includes process knowledge from raw material preparation to the passivation of chips in a modular format.