Biography
(born Jan. 22, 1775, Lyon, France—died June 10, 1836, Marseille) French physicist, founder of the science of electromagnetism. A prodigy who mastered the entire known field of mathematics by age 12, he became a professor of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. He formulated a law of electromagnetism, called Ampère"s law, that describes the magnetic force between two electric currents. An instrument he devised to measure the flow of electricity was later refined as the galvanometer. His chief published work was Memoir on the Mathematical Theory of Electrodynamic Phenomena (1827). The ampere (A) unit of electric current was named for him.
Copyright © 1994-2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
|
