SONAR

Inventor: Lewis Nixon

  • Invented in 1906 by Lewis Nixon
  • A measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return

The first sonar type listening device was made to detect icebergs. Then during World War I, research on sonar devices increased in way of detecting submarines. Paul Langévin was the inventor who took Nixons sonar further and successfully came up with a device that detected submarines. By 1918, the sonar system had developed so that it was possible to both listen to and send out signals.

Picture from http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/michigan/sonar.gif

Sources:

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com/Sonar. 9 April 2004. <http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/sonar>

  • This site provides a definition of sonar

Bellis, Mary. The History of Sonar. 9 April 2004. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsonar.htm>

  • This site gives good information about the development of sonar

BACK

Last Updated: 04/24/2004
Webmasters: George Kannarkat, David Bao
Website design by: George Kannarkat, David Bao, Sri Gopalan, Vanessa Furman,
Sandra Kim, Robert Moffatt, Alex MacKay, and Ian Buchanan
© 2003 All Rights Reserved