Robert watson watt biography for kids

Online biography for kids

Watt began his career in radio physics with a job at the Met Officewhere he began looking for accurate ways to track thunderstorms using the radio signals given off by lightning. This led to the s development of a system later known as high-frequency direction finding HFDF or "huff-duff".

Although well publicized at the time, the system's enormous military potential was not developed until the late s. Huff-duff allowed operators to determine the location of an enemy radio in seconds and it became a major part of the network of systems that helped defeat the threat of German U-boats during World War II.

It is estimated that huff-duff was used in about a quarter of all attacks on U-boats.

Robert watson watt biography for kids

In Watt was asked to comment on reports of a German death ray based on radio. Watt and his assistant Arnold Frederic Wilkins quickly determined it was not possible, but Wilkins suggested using radio signals to locate aircraft at long distances.

This led to a February demonstration where signals from a BBC short-wave transmitter were bounced off a Handley Page Heyford aircraft.