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Ohm, Georg Simon

Ohm, Georg Simon

This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry

Georg Simon Ohm (1787–1854), a German physicist who first described the fundamental relationship between voltage, current, and electrical resistance in 1827. Ohm began studying at the University of Erlangen in 1805, but after only a year his father, not approving of his student life, sent him to school in Switzerland. There, Ohm took up teaching mathematics and indulged himself in the famous mathematical works of Euler, Lacroix, and Laplace, eventually becoming a professor of mathematics. After several years of teaching, he published his first paper in 1825 based on his experiments with electromagnetic forces. In 1827, he published Die galvanishce Kette, mathematisch bearbeitet, describing what is now known as Ohm’s Law. Ohm's Law states that the amount of steady current through a material is directly proportional to the voltage across the material divided by the electrical resistance of the material. Ohm's research significantly advanced electrical circuit analysis. The unit of electrical resistance, the ohm, is named for him.

Citation

Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Ohm, Georg Simon". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved June 19, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ohm,_Georg_Simon>

The Author

Cutler J. Cleveland Cutler J. Cleveland  is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth.  He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)

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