Bosnia stamp year 2004 Michael Pupin – Scientists Telephone MNH stamp
Michael Pupin was a Serbian-American physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to telephone technology. One of his most notable achievements was the invention of Pupin coils, which improved the efficiency of long-distance telephone communication.
Pupin’s Contribution to the Telephone
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, long-distance telephone calls suffered from signal degradation due to resistance and inductance in telephone wires. Pupin discovered that by inserting loading coils (now called Pupin coils) at regular intervals along the telephone line, he could reduce signal loss and extend transmission distances without requiring additional amplifiers.
This pupinization method, patented in 1899, was adopted by Bell Telephone Company and became a standard in telephone communication, significantly enhancing voice clarity and reducing distortion over long distances.
Other Contributions
- Pupin also worked on electromagnetic wave propagation and X-ray technology.
- He wrote an autobiography, From Immigrant to Inventor, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924.
- He was a professor at Columbia University and played a major role in advancing electrical engineering.
