Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett, OM , CH , FRS (November 18, 1897–July 13, 1974) was a British experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism. The Order of Merit is a British and Commonwealth Order bestowed by the Monarch. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ... The Royal Society of London is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence and was founded in 1660. ... Jump to: navigation, search November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Experimental physics is the part of physics that deals with experiments and observations pertaining to natural/physical phenomena, as opposed to theoretical physics. ... A physicist is a scientist trained in physics. ... The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is used for detecting particles of ionizing radiation. ... Cosmic rays can loosely be defined as energetic particles originating outside of the Earth. ... Paleomagnetism refers to the orientation of the Earths magnetic field as it is preserved in various magnetic iron bearing minerals throughout time. ...

Graduating from Cambridge University in 1921 after a long stint in the British Navy, Blackett spent ten years working at the prestigious Cavendish Laboratory before moving to London (1933) and then Manchester University. REDIRECT [1] ... Jump to: navigation, search 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Plaque The Cavendish Laboratory is Cambridge Universitys Department of Physics, and is part of the universitys School of Physical Sciences. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Manchester is a city in the North West of England. ...

Blackett was awarded the OM, the CH, and in 1948 the Nobel Prize for Physics, for his investigation of cosmic rays undertaken at Manchester using his invention of the counter-controlled cloud chamber, confirming the existence of the positron and discovering the now instantly recogniseable opposing spiral traces of positron/electron pair production. This work and that on annihilation radiation made him one of the first and leading experts on anti-matter. The Order of Merit is a British and Commonwealth Order bestowed by the Monarch. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Edward Appletons medal Photographs of Nobel Prize Medals. ... Cosmic rays can loosely be defined as energetic particles originating outside of the Earth. ... The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is used for detecting particles of ionizing radiation. ... The first detection of the positron in 1932 by Carl D. Anderson The positron is the antiparticle or the antimatter counterpart of the electron. ... Antimatter is matter that is composed of the antiparticles of those that constitute normal matter. ...

During World War 2, Blackett was instrumental in founding the field of study known as Operations research, which improved the survival odds of convoys, among other successes. During the war he argued strongly against the tactics of strategic bombing, using OR to show that it did not have the effects which military commanders thought it did (namely, that it did not "break the will" of the enemy nor did it significantly hamper their production capabilities). In this opinion he chafed against the existing military authority and was cut out of various circles of communications; after the war, the Allied Strategic Bombing Survey proved Blackett correct, however. In 1940-41 Blackett also served on the MAUD Committee which concluded that an atomic bomb was feasible. German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... Operations research, operational research, or simply OR, is the use of mathematical models, statistics and algorithms to aid in decision-making. ... A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ... Jump to: navigation, search Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... The term strategic bombing survey refers to a series of examinations of the impact of strategic bombing in World War II. The surveys were careful reports that presented many details of the effects of aerial attacks. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Maud Committee was the beginning of the British atomic bomb project, before the United Kingdom joined forces with the United States in the Manhattan Project. ...

In the late 1940s, Blackett became known for his radical political opinions, which included his belief that Britain ought not develop atomic weapons and that the country had an obligation to improve the scientific and technological situations in its former colonies (especially India). Politically he identified himself as a socialist, and often campaigned on behalf of the Labour Party. Jump to: navigation, search The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Labour Party is the principal centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ...

In 1947, Blackett introduced a theory to account for the Earth's magnetic field as a function of its rotation, with the hope that it would unify both the electromagnetic force and the force of gravity. He spent a number of years developing high-quality magnetometers to test his theory, and eventually found it to be without merit. His work on the subject, however, led him into the field of geophysics, where he eventually helped process data relating to paleomagnetism and helped to provide strong evidence for continental drift. Jump to: navigation, search 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field: a field, encompassing all of space, composed of the electric field and the magnetic field. ... Jump to: navigation, search It has been suggested that Gravitational constant be merged into this article or section. ... A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength of magnetic fields. ... Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ... Paleomagnetism refers to the orientation of the Earths magnetic field as it is preserved in various magnetic iron bearing minerals throughout time. ... Jump to: navigation, search Portrayal of shifting continents The concept of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener. ...

Professor Blackett was appointed Head of the Physics Department of Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, in 1953 and retired in July, 1963. The current Physics department building of Imperial College is named the 'Blackett Laboratory'. In 1965 Blackett was made President of the Royal Society and was awarded a life peerage in 1969. Jump to: navigation, search 1999-The Bomb 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence. ... The honours system of the United Kingdom is a means of rewarding personal bravery, achievement or service to the country. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ...

Influence on science fiction

Blackett's theory of planetary magnetism and gravity were taken up by the science fiction author James Blish who cited Blackett's equation as the theoretical 'basis' behind his 'spindizzy' antigravity drive. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Jump to: navigation, search James Benjamin Blish (East Orange, New Jersey, May 23, 1921 - Henley-on-Thames, July 29, 1975) was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. ... The spindizzy is a fictional anti-gravity device invented by James Blish for his series Cities in Flight. ... AntiGravity is a group of New York gymnasts/performance artists. ...

References

• Mary Jo Nye, Blackett: Physics, War, and Politics in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004).

External links

• Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett
• Patrick M.S. Blackett - Biography
• his development of the Wilson cloud chamber method, and his discoveries therewith in the fields of nuclear physics and cosmic radiation