science

William Edward Taynton

William Edward Taynton is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand William Edward Taynton rather than just read about it. In short: William Edward Taynton (2 August 1904 – May 1973) was an English office worker who became the first human being in history to have his image transmitted by television. On 2 October 1925, while working as an office boy in London, he was recruited by inventor John Logie Baird to serve as the live subject for his mechanical television experiments, following the successful transmission of a ventriloquist's dummy.

Key takeaways

William Edward Taynton belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect William Edward Taynton to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of William Edward Taynton from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

William Edward Taynton (2 August 1904 – May 1973) was an English office worker who became the first human being in history to have his image transmitted by television. On 2 October 1925, while working as an office boy in London, he was recruited by inventor John Logie Baird to serve as the live subject for his mechanical television experiments, following the successful transmission of a ventriloquist's dummy.

The 1925 experiment Taynton was an employee of a firm at 22 Frith Street in Soho, the same building where Baird maintained his laboratory. After Baird achieved a breakthrough in transmitting the "halftone" image of a puppet named Stooky Bill he sought a human subject to verify that the apparatus could capture living people. Baird "almost dragged" Taynton to come and act as a subject that would provide the necessary motion. Despite the intense heat from the apparatus, Taynton remained in place long enough for Baird to achieve the first true television picture. When Baird asked Taynton for his opinion of the picture he replied that it was "very crude". For his contribution, he received a payment of half a crown, which is cited as the first "television fee" ever paid to a performer.

Early life Taynton's birth was registered in Islington in late 1905, though his later records cite a birth date of 2 August 1904. He was the son of Charles Edwin Taynton. He largely remained out of the public eye following the experiment although did appear on broadcasts and articles talking about the experiment. He married in Bromley in 1941. He died in 1973.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with William Edward Taynton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what William Edward Taynton claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to William Edward Taynton before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about William Edward Taynton ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of William Edward Taynton

In research: William Edward Taynton appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses William Edward Taynton in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: William Edward Taynton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1904 births, 1973 deaths, 20th-century English people, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for William Edward Taynton outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study William Edward Taynton in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what William Edward Taynton means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain William Edward Taynton out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is William Edward Taynton in simple terms?

Why does William Edward Taynton matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study William Edward Taynton?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on William Edward Taynton.