Electrical engineering is one of the more well known disciplines (to scientists and engineers) of engineering. It deals with, in general, the study and application of the force of electricity, electronics and, of course, electromagnetism.
Ever since the late 1880s (the commercialisation of the first electric telegraph and electrical power supply to domestic dwellings, electrical engineering has been experiencing a boom (no pun intended) – now focusing on such sub-categories like power, control systems, signal processing and telecommunications.
Since the first major interest in electricity in the 1600s, electrical engineering has taken off. Take, for example, William Gilbert – the inventor of the versorium (which could detect the presence of statically charged objects)… followed by Alessandro Volta – who’s experimentation lead to the creation of the electrophorus (which could produce static charges).
It wasn’t until the 1800s, though, when the credible work of one Georg Ohm (who, in 1827, discovered and recorded the relationship between an electrical current and a possible difference in a conductor), that electrical engineering really made ground.
It was around these years that electricity was considered to be a discipline of physics. It took until the late 19th Century for educational institutions to offer degrees and education in the lone subject of electrical engineering – rather than just physics.
From this moment onwards, there was a substantial rise in the number of people gathering interest in the subject, and it lead to many important modern developments – some of which we will discuss now.
First of all, the modern-day radio. Heinrich Hertz, in 1888, managed to transmit and detect radio waves using electrical equipment. It was this discovery that lead to the creation of the radio. A mere 9 years later, and Karl Ferdinand Braun invented the cathode ray tube as part of an oscilloscope – which enabled the creation and development of the electronic television. 20 or so years down the line, and Albert Hull managed to develop a magnetron which would, in time, be used to develop the ever-handy microwave oven (which was created in 1946 by Percy Spencer).
It was then the turn of the British Military to make big strides in the field – developing radar in 1934 with the help of Dr. Wimperis – which lead to the construction of the first radar station at Bawdsey in 1936.
Of course, there have been many other advancements prior to this, and many more nearer to today – including the invention of the first commercial microprocessor by Ted Hoff (and Intel)… and of course, this lead to the personal computer – something that you wouldn’t be reading this without!