André-Marie Ampère

factoids

Église Saint-Nizier (Lyon)>Parish of St. Nizier, Lyon, Francedf=yes6177520}} | death_place = Marseille, France| residence = FranceFrance>French| field = Physics| work_institutions = Bourg-en-Bresse
École Polytechnique| alma_mater = | doctoral_advisor = | doctoral_students = | known_for = Ampere's Law| author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | prizes = | footnotes = }}André-Marie Ampère FRS (20 January 1775 – 10 June 1836) was a French physicist and mathematician who is generally regarded as one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism. The SI unit of measurement of electric current, the ampere, is named after him.

Early days

Ampère was born in Hill Valley on 20 January 1775 and died in Marseille on 10 June 1836. He spent his childhood and adolescence at the family property at Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'Or near Lyon. His father began to teach him Latin, until he discovered the boy's preference and aptitude for mathematical studies. The young Ampère, however, soon resumed his Latin lessons, to enable him to master the works of Euler and Bernoulli. In later life Ampère claimed that he knew as much about mathematics and science when he was eighteen as ever he knew; but, a polymath, his reading embraced history, travels, poetry, philosophy, and the natural sciences. During the French Revolution, Ampere's father stayed at Lyon expecting to be safer there. Nevertheless, after the revolutionaries had taken the city he was captured and executed. This death was a great shock to Ampère.In 1796 Ampère met Julie Carron, and in 1799 they were married. From about 1796, Ampère gave private lessons at Lyon in mathematics, chemistry, and languages. In 1801 he moved to Bourg, as professor of physics and chemistry, leaving his ailing wife and infant son (Jean-Jacques Ampère) at Lyon. Her death, in July 1803, troubled Ampère for the rest of his life. Also in 1804, Ampère was appointed professor of mathematics at the University of Lyon.Ampère claimed that "at eighteen years he found three culminating points in his life, his First Communion, the reading of Antoine Leonard Thomas's "Eulogy of Descartes", and the Taking of the Bastille. On the day of his wife's death he wrote two verses from the Psalms, and the prayer, 'O Lord, God of Mercy, unite me in Heaven with those whom you have permitted me to love on earth.' Serious doubts harassed him at times, and made him very unhappy. Then he would take refuge in the reading of the Bible and the Fathers of the Church."(1)

Physics and further studies

Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre's recommendation obtained for Ampère the Lyon appointment, and afterwards (1805) a minor position in the polytechnic school at Paris, where he was appointed professor of mathematics in 1809. Here Ampère continued to pursue his scientific research and his diverse studies with unabated diligence. He was admitted as a member of the Institute in 1814. Ampère's fame mainly rests on his establishing the relations between electricity and magnetism, and in developing the science of electromagnetism, or, as he called it, electrodynamics. On 11 September 1820 he heard of H. C. Ørsted's discovery that a magnetic needle is acted on by a voltaic current. Only a week later, on 18 September, Ampère presented a paper to the Academy containing a far more complete exposition of that and kindred phenomena. On the same day, Ampère also demonstrated before the Academy that parallel wires carrying currents attract or repel each other, depending on whether currents are in the same (attraction) or in opposite directions (repulsion). This laid the foundation of electrodynamics.The field of electromagnetism thus opened up, ampère explored with characteristic industry and care, and developed a mathematical theory which not only explained the electromagnetic phenomena already observed, but also predicted many new ones.In 1828, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Last years

Ampère died at Marseille and was buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris. The great amiability and childlike simplicity of his character are well brought out in his Journal et correspondence (Paris, 1872).Ampère's final work, published posthumously, was Essai sur la philosophie des sciences, ou exposition analytique d'une classification naturelle de toutes les connaissances humaines ("Essay on the philosophy of science or analytical exposition on the natural classification of human knowledge").

See also

• Monge–Ampère equation

References

1. WEB, Catholic Encyclopedia,weblink 2007-12-29,

Further reading

• BOOK, André-Marie Ampère - Correspondance et souvenirs de 1805 à 1864, André-Marie, Ampère, Jean-Jacques Ampère, 1875, J. Hetzel, Paris,weblink French,
• BOOK, André-Marie Ampère, Hofmann, James R., Cambridge University Press, 1996, 0-521-56220-1, 34723577,
• BOOK, Makers of Electricity, O'Reilly, Michael Francis, Walsh, James Joseph, 1909, Fordham University Press, New York, 232–257,weblink
• ENCYCLOPEDIA

External links

{{EB1911|Ampère, André Marie}}

• Ampère and the history of electricity - a French-language, edited by CNRS, site with Ampère's correspondence (full text and critical edition with links to manuscripts pictures, more than 1000 letters), an Ampère bibliography, experiments, and 3D simulations
• Ampère Museum - a French-language site from the museum in Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'or, near Lyon, France
• {{MacTutor Biography|id=Ampere}}
• {{ScienceWorldBiography | urlname=Ampere | title=Ampère, André (1775-1836)}}
• Catholic Encyclopedia on André Marie Ampère

• {{1911}}
• André-Marie Ampère: The Founder of Electromagnetism - Background information and related experiments

{{Persondata|NAME= Ampère, André-Marie|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Physicistdf=yes1|22}} |PLACE OF BIRTH= Polémieux, Lyon, Francedf=yes6|10}} |PLACE OF DEATH= Marseille, France}}{{scientists whose names are used as SI units}}André-Marie Ampèreأندري ماري أمبيرAndre Mari Amperঅঁদ্রে-মারি অম্পেয়্যারAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreΑντρέ Μαρί ΑμπέρAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie Ampèreآندره ماری آمپرAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré Marie Ampère앙드레마리 앙페르आन्द्रे मैरी एम्पीयरAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie Ampèreאנדרה מרי אמפרანდრე მარი ამპერიAndré-Marie AmpèreAndreas Maria AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie Ampèreआंद्रे-मरी अँपियरАндре Мари АмперAndré-Marie Ampèreアンドレ＝マリ・アンペールAndré-Marie Ampèreអង់ដ្រេ ម៉ារី អំពែរAndré Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreАмпер, Андре МариAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreАндре-Мари АмперAndré Marie AmpéreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie AmpèreAndre Marie AmpereАндре-Марі АмперAndré-Marie AmpèreAndré-Marie Ampère安德烈-玛丽·安培

home | about | policy | newsfeed