In this blog post, we will look at how electricity was discovered and developed, and how these changes have affected the lives of people.
Today, our daily lives are unimaginable without electricity. Electricity allows us to keep the lights on in the dark and enables many of the devices we use, such as computers, televisions, radios, air conditioners, and mobile phones. As the years go by, the types of electronic products are becoming more diverse and their functions are rapidly evolving in response to people’s needs. As such, modern people live in close relationship with electricity, but few people actually know what electricity is. Accordingly, we will cover the basic concepts of electricity and how to put them into practical use, and learn them through simple hands-on exercises.
To understand electricity, we must first know that all matter is composed of two types of electric charges. Electric charges are the basis of all electrical phenomena, and there are two types: positive and negative. Like the poles of a magnet, different electric charges attract each other, and like charges repel each other. The basic unit of matter is the atom. Atoms are composed of a positively charged nucleus and negatively charged electrons. In their natural state, atoms are electrically neutral, but when electrons move to other atoms and become negatively charged, they sometimes become positively charged. Conversely, when electrons enter, they become negatively charged.
The definition of electricity is “various natural phenomena caused by positive and negative charges.” According to records, the first person to discover electricity was Thales, an ancient Greek philosopher around 600 BC. He rubbed a piece of cloth and an amber and observed the phenomenon that light objects stick to the amber. This is the result of the movement of electrons when two objects are rubbed together, causing positive and negative charges to be generated. This phenomenon is called triboelectricity, and it was confirmed by the English physician William Gilbert at the end of the 16th century that the same phenomenon occurs in various materials after Thales. The term “electricity” has been studied since then, and it comes from the Greek word “elektron,” which means “amber.”
The practical use of electricity began with the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800. Electricity literally means the flow of electricity, and when electrons move in a conductor, they collide with other electrons or atoms and generate heat. Today’s electric irons, stoves, and other heating appliances use this heating effect.
Motors, which are used in various places such as trains, fans, and elevators, are devices that convert electrical energy into rotational motion. Around 1820, French physicist André-Marie Ampère discovered that there was an effect similar to that of a magnet placed around a conductor through which an electric current flows. Based on this, in an electric motor, the magnetic force acting between the magnet and the conductor causes rotational motion.
Mobile phones are a necessity for modern people. Thanks to the development of electricity, it is now possible to talk to the other side of the world in real time. Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, developed a method of transmitting signals using changes in electric current in 1837, which marked the beginning of telecommunications. In the late 19th century, the discovery of electromagnetic waves made wireless communication practical, and communication technology has continued to advance, making radio and television broadcasting possible. Recently, the development of integrated circuits has made communication devices even smaller and has made it possible to talk to more people at the same time.
Electricity has revolutionized our lives in this way. The demand for electricity continues to grow, and as electricity can be applied to various fields, its potential for development is endless. As research in electrical and electronic engineering continues, new materials and technologies will be developed, which will further improve our lives.
