Sir John Percival Vissing Madsen FAA (24 March 1879 – 4 October 1969) was an Australian academic, physicist, engineer, mathematician and Army officer.
This history of Madsen's activities in Australian science &amp; engineering covers the period 1900–1956 during which applications of electricity, X-ray analysis, standardised measurements for production, radio propagation, radar &amp; radio astronomy, nuclear physics &amp; digital computers made tremendous progress in part due to major advances in fundamental research &amp; also the heightened activity due to two world wars. Central to these activities largely carried out at Sydney University, was the Electrical Engineering Department &amp; the CSIRO National Standards Laboratory/ Radiophysics Laboratory (now The Madsen Building in the University grounds.
Madsen's roles encompassed the positions of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Professor &amp; Emeritus Professor from 1909 up to 1956 when he finally retired as Chairman of the Radio Research Board which he founded in 1927. Until 1946 Madsen was the first and only Professor of Electrical Engineering in any Australian University.
1900–1911.
Madsen (1879-1969) graduated from Sydney University with first class honours &amp; University Medals in both Science &amp; Engineering in 1900 &amp; then 1901 when he read physics &amp; mathematics establishing the practice of taking the double degree of BSc &amp; BE &amp; he himself embarking on a lifelong career of applying physics to the foundations of engineering. 
In 1901 he was appointed Lecturer in physics &amp; mathematics at the University of Adelaide under W H Bragg with whom he established a close association over many years &amp; this soon led in 1902 to the opportunity to become the first Lecturer in Electrical Engineering at the University. In the latter part of 1902 during a period of leave of absence &amp; at his own expense he proceeded on a tour through England &amp; America to gain information on the most recent methods of instruction in Electrical Engineering adopted by the Universities &amp; Higher technical Colleges &amp; at the same time visiting as many as possible of the most important installations and manufacturing businesses. He found that the general type of course was much the same throughout consisting of groundwork in mathematics, physics &amp; chemistry where courses were over three or four years with the specialisation in Electric Engineering taking place during the latter portion. A thesis dealing with some approved portion of work &amp; written up during the vacations was also required from the student &amp; on completion of the course the recognised practice for these men was to take up employment with a reputable manufacturing firm. Experience gained in this way was most essential as men are put through all the departments after which they stay in the one in which they intend to specialise dealing at that time with the further subdivision of Direct &amp; Continuous current. The equipment for teaching in England was considered sufficient for teaching being of small size &amp; less expensive whereas in America there was a tendency towards using large machines with large currents &amp; high EMFs where the methods of handling are considerably different. In the case of smaller plant more responsibility can be taken by a student &amp; this assists the student in gaining confidence in the handling of experiments. On completion of the degree the graduate was accepted by the IEE as sufficient qualification for their associateship &amp; then it became most essential to obtain experience on the Continent, England or America before taking up a permanent position. From time to time openings in large manufacturing works in America, England &amp; Germany became available for graduates.
Commencing in 1905 Sydney University was to appoint its first Lecturer in Electrical Engineering &amp; JPVM applied wishing to get married &amp; be employed back at Sydney University. WHB wrote a very favourable testimonial &amp; concluded that he would be very sorry if it assists JPVM's departure from Adelaide. The Chancellor of the University of Adelaide also expressed great regret at the possibility of JPVM leaving Adelaide &amp; referred to his ability as an able &amp; hard working man of unimpeachable character who had proved himself a successful teacher &amp; Lecturer inspiring his students with his own enthusiasm. E. Kilman Scott from England however was given the appointment for four years &amp; so in fact JPVM did remain in Adelaide for the next four years &amp; in conjunction with his Electrical Engineering duties embarked on a period of fundamental research in physics with WHB.
WHB had greatly improved his skills in giving public lectures &amp; science demonstrations during his time in Adelaide but at the relatively old age of 42 was inspired by Rutherford's work to give a Presidential address to the AAAS meeting to be held in Dunedin in 1904 which set out his research ideas on the ionization of gases. The discovery of X-rays by Rontgen in 1895, radium in 1898 by the Curies &amp; the electron by J J Thomson in 1897 had created fertile ground for research work in physics which WHB then started to devise experiments &amp; at the same time develop theoretical ideas to support his results. In 1905 JPVM joined with WHB in his experiments &amp; then later publishing his own experiments up to 1909, &amp; in particular a paper on the Scattering of Beta Rays of Radium published in England in the Phil Mag. One of the results of great significance from this experiment with thin foils of gold, aluminium, silver &amp; paper was that for the thinnest of foils the beta particles passing through were only scattered once, the implication to Rutherford of this was that within the atom there was a lot of empty space. Rutherford in 1911 published a very famous paper on the Scattering of Alpha &amp; Beta particles &amp; the Structure of the Atom the Rutherford Model as a mini solar system or nuclear atom in which he mentions Madsen's results. JPVM also wrote to Nature on matters arising from his experiments which he considered to be of significance.
In 1909 WHB and family departed Adelaide for England and Madsen returned to Sydney University with his family and in an effort to keep JPVM abreast of research mainly in England &amp; Germany, WHB wrote lengthy letters from Leeds also making arrangements for a new large &amp; very expensive supply of Radium from Braunschweig funded to JPVM by a wealthy tobacco merchant. W H Bragg &amp; J P V Madsen Collaboration and Correspondence. It is not known what further experiment Madsen was working on in Sydney with his new supply of Radium however the results were not as expected &amp; when finished he passed the Radium on to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for medical use. In 1912 W H B published a book "Studies in Radioactivity" in which he gives a full account of JPVM's Beta Scattering apparatus with an Ionization chamber &amp; also his results for Aluminium &amp; Gold foils. In late 1912 WHB also invented his X-ray ionization diffraction spectrometer which also involved the electronic measurement of scattered wave material having passed through crystals which contributed significantly to his receipt, with son Lawrence W L Bragg, of the 1915 Nobel Prize in physics.
1912–1918.
In May 1912 in a President's Address to the University of Sydney Engineering Society JPVM set out his ideas on the effective manner in which Engineers should be trained. He believed teaching of engineering was more than just technical matters &amp; to his mind included character, clearness of thought &amp; expression, general knowledge, tastes, discipline &amp; contact with men of vastly different interests. There should be a liberal arrangement of the syllabus by doing away with individual years &amp; place only a minimum limit of four years on the course so that the student can take as long as he pleased with certain essential subjects leaving a certain number as options. He did not believe that the Matriculation test in languages &amp; literature was essential for entrance to an Engineering course. The course of instruction needs to be geared to Australian needs with more emphasis on applications compared to finer points of design. A sound quantitative knowledge of portions of science which directly concern his professional work should be provided. The system of training is to consist of a clear exposition of the fundamental principles of science &amp; then a study of the methods of application of these principles. As soon as the principles are understood in a general way then he must be then shown the practical application-there is a tendency to remember the applications &amp; forget the principles. Such a defect can arise if students are given principles in one course &amp; it is then left for him to deal with applications at a later stage. There is also a need for short graduate courses of 6-10 lectures. The need for an Australian physical Measurements Laboratory such as in Germany, London, Washington &amp; Japan was raised at this time.
In 1914 in his Presidential Address to the Electrical Association of NSW JPVM again raised the need for Australia to participate in international comparisons of physical measurements &amp; pointed to the role in Germany where the Physicalische Reichsansalt had become a very important institution. In conclusion JPVM referred to the loss of service due to the death of George Westinghouse one of the pioneers of the electrical industry.
At the outbreak of WW1 Madsen had been Captain of the Sydney University Rifle club &amp; although he volunteered for active service was retained as the Chief Instructor &amp; Officer Commanding the Commonwealth Engineer Officers Training School at Moore Park &amp; then Roseville. The trainees at the School were all selected men with high engineering qualifications &amp; courses of instruction were adapted to suit the requirements of these men. He was a tiger for physical fitness &amp; maintained a mixture of hard discipline during work periods &amp; at other times a smiling ease &amp; warm friendliness.
Beyond 1914 – The University of Sydney and the Great War
1920–1938.
In 1920 Madsen was appointed to the Chair of Electrical Engineering at Sydney University and until 1946 remained the only professor of Electrical Engineering in an Australian University. In the Engineering Year Book of 1926 it was noted by students that it was the beginning of Third Year that they met Madsen and his subject of Electrical Engineering &amp; his untiring energy is what really instilled in our minds the true idea of efficient work. His lectures are more effective than any others we get, due probably to his clear and concise idea of the usual pitfalls for young students of electricity &amp; the saving grace of first principles as opposed to details. To him alone, we owe whatever slight conception we have of the importance of filthy lucre &amp; "corsts" in engineering undertakings.
In 1926 the Council for Scientific Research- CSIR- was formed by Stanley Bruce the Australian Prime Minister. That same year public submissions were called to consider which areas of research should be followed. Madsen made two submissions on the same day at the hearings in Melbourne, the first dealing with the establishment of an Australian Radio Research Board and then the establishment of a National Standards Laboratory. All the other submissions which were made were for primary industry programmes. The proposal to form the Australian RRB was adopted at this time to be funded by CSIR, the Department of Defence &amp; the PMG &amp; to work on similar lines to the British RRB under Robert Watson Watt. In 1926 many of the techniques of radio propagation were still unknown &amp; the development of long distant communication &amp; broadcasting were still empirical, however in Britain and the United States of America a more fundamental scientific approach was evolving with spectacular results. At this time in Australia problems limiting full use of the medium were assuming importance in Australia. As Chairman of the newly formed RRB JPVM travelled overseas to America where he attended an URSI-International Union of Radio Science conference in Washington &amp; then to Britain &amp; the continent obtaining relevant information on Radio Research &amp; also Standards Laboratories even though that proposal was not to be taken up by CSIR until ten years later. In London JPVM arranged a selection panel consisting of Rutherford, Appleton &amp; Tizard to recommend three staff to be appointed for three year terms to come out to Sydney &amp; Melbourne Universities to follow on from research programmes initiated in England on