William Penney, Baron Penney

English mathematician and physicist (1909-1991)
Person human Q336759
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William Penney, Baron Penney

Summary

William Penney, Baron Penney is a human[1]. His place of birth was Gibraltar[2]. He was born on June 24, 1909[3]. He died in East Hendred[4]. He died on March 3, 1991[5]. He worked as a politician[6], physicist[7], and mathematician[8]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (148 views/month, #7,239 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • William Penney, Baron Penney was born in Gibraltar[2].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney passed away in East Hendred[4].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was born on June 24, 1909[3].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney died on March 3, 1991[5].
  • Burial took place at cremation[10].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney held citizenship in United Kingdom[11].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney's professions included politician[6].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney worked as a physicist[7].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney worked as a mathematician[8].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney's field of work was nuclear physics[12].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney held the position of member of the House of Lords[13].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney held the position of chairperson[14].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney held the position of rector[15].
  • Among William Penney, Baron Penney's employers was Imperial College London[16].
  • Among William Penney, Baron Penney's employers was Manhattan Project[17].
  • Among William Penney, Baron Penney's employers was Atomic Weapons Establishment[18].
  • Among William Penney, Baron Penney's employers was United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority[19].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was employed by Imperial College London[20].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was educated at Royal College of Science[21].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney's education included a stint at University of Cambridge[22].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney's education included a stint at University of Groningen[23].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was educated at Imperial College London[24].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was educated at University of Wisconsin–Madison[25].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney was educated at Gilberd School[26].
  • William Penney, Baron Penney's doctoral advisor was John Lennard-Jones[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Gibraltar[2], William Penney, Baron Penney… he was born on June 24, 1909[3].

Education

Educated at Royal College of Science[21], a college[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1881[30]; University of Cambridge[22], a collegiate university[31], in United Kingdom[32], founded in 1209[33], headquartered in Cambridge[34]; University of Groningen[23], a public research university[35], in Netherlands[36], founded in 1614[37], headquartered in Groningen[38]; Imperial College London[24], a public research university[39], in United Kingdom[40], founded in 1907[41], headquartered in South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London[42]; University of Wisconsin–Madison[25], a public research university[43], in United States[44], founded in 1848[45]; and Gilberd School[26], a secondary school[46], in United Kingdom[47], founded in 1912[48]. William Penney, Baron Penney's doctoral advisor was John Lennard-Jones[27]. He earned the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy[49].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include politician[6], physicist[7], and mathematician[8]. William Penney, Baron Penney's field of work was nuclear physics[12]. Employers include Imperial College London[16], a public research university[50], in United Kingdom[51], founded in 1907[52], headquartered in South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London[53]; Manhattan Project[17], a military project[54], in United States[55], headquartered in Oak Ridge[56]; Atomic Weapons Establishment[18], a government agency[57], in United Kingdom[58], founded in 1950[59]; and United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority[19], a non-departmental public body[60], in United Kingdom[61], founded in 1954[62], headquartered in Abingdon-on-Thames[63]. Positions held include member of the House of Lords[13], a position[64], in United Kingdom[65], founded in 1801[66]; chairperson[14], a type of position[67]; and rector[15], an elective office[68].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to William Penney, Baron Penney is Particle in a one-dimensional lattice[69].

Recognition

Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society[70], a fellowship award[71], in United Kingdom[72]; Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire[73], a grade of an order[74], in United Kingdom[75]; Wilhelm Exner Medal[76], an award[77], in Austria[78], founded in 1921[79]; Rumford Medal[80]; Glazebrook Medal[81]; and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh[82].

Death and Burial

William Penney, Baron Penney died on March 3, 1991[5]. He passed away in East Hendred[4]. Burial took place at cremation[10].

Why It Matters

William Penney, Baron Penney ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (148 views/month, #7,239 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 12 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[83] He is known by 9 alternative names across languages and contexts.[84]

FAQs

Where was William Penney, Baron Penney born?

William Penney, Baron Penney's place of birth was Gibraltar[2].

Where did William Penney, Baron Penney die?

William Penney, Baron Penney died in East Hendred[4].

What did William Penney, Baron Penney do for work?

William Penney, Baron Penney worked as politician[6], physicist[7], and mathematician[8].

Where did William Penney, Baron Penney go to school?

William Penney, Baron Penney was educated at Royal College of Science[21], University of Cambridge[22], University of Groningen[23], and Imperial College London[24].

What awards did William Penney, Baron Penney receive?

Honors received include Fellow of the Royal Society[70], Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire[73], Wilhelm Exner Medal[76], and Rumford Medal[80].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  3. [11] . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . wikidata.org.
  5. [14] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  6. [15] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. imperial.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [21] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  8. [22] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  9. [23] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  10. [24] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  11. [25] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  12. [26] . wikidata.org.
  13. [12] . wikidata.org.
  14. [6] . Hansard 1803–2005. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [7] . wikidata.org.
  16. [8] . wikidata.org.
  17. [16] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  18. [17] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  19. [18] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  20. [19] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  21. [20] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  22. [10] . wikidata.org.
  23. [70] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  24. [73] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [76] . wilhelmexner.org. wilhelmexner.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [80] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  27. [81] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  28. [82] . royalsocietypublishing.org. royalsocietypublishing.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [27] . wikidata.org.
  30. [49] . wikidata.org.
  31. [3] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [5] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [69] . wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [74] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [75] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  46. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  47. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [83] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [84] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William Penney, Baron Penney. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penney-baron-penney
MLA “William Penney, Baron Penney.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penney-baron-penney.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-penney-baron-penney_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William Penney, Baron Penney}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penney-baron-penney}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): William Penney, Baron Penney — https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penney-baron-penney (retrieved 2026-04-10)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 19d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Notable work Particle in a one-dimensional lattice
    Participant in Manhattan Project
    Given name William, George
    Field of work nuclear physics
    + 28 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32084|batch #32084]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (26)"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.