Final answer:
The advancement that facilitated the development of radio technology was the invention of the transistor, which made radios more portable and reliable. The transistor was developed by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley at Bell Labs, based on quantum mechanics principles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The discovery that contributed to the radio as an advance in technology was C) The development of the transistor. This invention allowed radios to become more portable and reliable compared to earlier models, which relied on bulky and less efficient vacuum tubes. Regarding the invention of the radio, it is attributed to Guglielmo Marconi, who was one of the pioneering figures in wireless communication.
The development of the transistor significantly impacted the commercialization of the radio, allowing for the creation of the first pocket-sized transistor radio, the Regency TR-1. The foundations for this technological breakthrough were laid down by Max Planck's quantum mechanics theory and further developed through Schrödinger's equation, which paved the way for solid-state devices. The Nobel Prize-winning work of physicists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley at Bell Labs culminated in the invention of the transistor in 1947.