Electrical Engineering Essay

Electrical Engineering is probably expanding more than any other field of engineering. This field deals with the study and application of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics. “Electrical engineers study and apply the physics and mathematics of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to both large and small scale systems to process information and transmit energy.” (Cal Poly State University)

Since the early ages at around 500 B.C. are recorded documents that bring up questions of a stone attracting iron. “The first definite statement is by Thales of Miletus who said lodestone attracts iron because it has a soul” (Fowler). The lodestone or leading stone is a naturally magnetic stone, which was believed to have magical powers

Both provided clues to help link a distinction between electricity and electromagnetism. Galen raised the question “…why a ring thus attached to a magnet will attract a further ring to itself” (Fowler). Pliny brought the attention of amber being “used for the end of the spindle by Syrian women spinners… electrifying it as it spun and rubbed against their clothing, so attracting chaff [or straw]” (Fowler). But it wasn’t until St. Augustine, during the Christian era, found himself “puzzled to find [that] the lodestone, unlike amber, would not move straw, making a clear differentiation…between electricity and magnetism” (Fowler). This primitive distinction is the true foundation that led to today’s field of Electrical

To name a few major contributors, William Gilbert (1544-1603) was the first to theorize that the Earth itself was a magnet with an iron core and electromagnetic field, and was accredited with coining the terms electricity, electric attraction, force, and magnetic pole. James Watt (1736-1819) improved the Steam Engines efficiency and power, which would later contribute to Thomas Edison’s ability to distribute electricity on a large scale. Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) created the first battery later improved by Edison. Marie Ampére (1775-1836) was the first to attempt to mathematically describe the phenomenon occurring between magnets. Georg Ohm (1789-1854) created Ohm’s law, which describes the relationship between electrical current, resistance, and voltage mathematically. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction and magneto-electric induction, which later led to the invention of the transistor and generator. Thomas Edison (1847-1931) was known for his numerous inventions holding a record of 1,093 patents during his lifetime and contributed to many fields of communication, power generation including Direct Current, and media, but even more importantly, he was the first to create an industrial research laboratory. Nikola Tesla (1856 -1943) made