Andre-Marie Ampere

Andre-Marie Ampere

André-Marie Ampère (20 January 1775 – 10 June 1836) was a French physicist and mathematician who was one of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as "electrodynamics". His name has been immortalized in the International System of Units (SI) as the unit of electric current, the Ampere (symbol: A).

Early Life

André-Marie Ampère was born in Lyon, France, into a prosperous family. His father, Jean-Jacques Ampère, was a successful merchant. From a young age, Ampère showed a profound interest in mathematics, teaching himself advanced topics and reading the works of the great mathematicians of his time. Unfortunately, his formal education was interrupted by the French Revolution, which also led to the execution of his father in 1793. This traumatic event deeply affected Ampère, leading him to temporarily abandon his studies.

Career and Contributions

In 1802, Ampère was appointed as a professor of physics and chemistry at the École Centrale in Bourg-en-Bresse, marking the beginning of his professional academic career. He later moved to the University of Paris, where he focused on the study of electricity and magnetism. Ampère's most significant contributions came after Hans Christian Ørsted's discovery in 1820 that a magnetic field is generated around a wire carrying an electric current. Inspired by this discovery, Ampère began conducting experiments to understand the relationship between electricity and magnetism further.

Ampère's most notable achievement was the formulation of Ampère's circuital law, which relates the integrated magnetic field around a closed loop to the electric current passing through the loop. This law is a fundamental part of Maxwell's equations, which are the foundation of classical electromagnetism. Ampère also proposed the existence of a molecular current to explain the magnetic properties of materials, a concept that paved the way for the development of the theory of electromagnetism.

In addition to his work in electromagnetism, Ampère made contributions to the fields of mathematics, chemistry, and philosophy. He was one of the first to apply mathematics to the study of electricity and magnetism, and he developed a mathematical theory that described the behavior of electrical currents.

Legacy

André-Marie Ampère's contributions to science are commemorated in several ways. The unit of electric current, the Ampere, was named in his honor in 1881 by the International Electrical Congress. His name is also one of the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower, recognizing his contributions to science. Ampère's work laid the groundwork for the technological advances of the 19th and 20th centuries, including the development of telegraphy, electric motors, and electrical engineering.

Death

Ampère passed away in Marseille, France, on 10 June 1836. His legacy lives on through his contributions to the field of electromagnetism and the unit of electric current that bears his name.