Introduction
In the 19th century, a significant milestone and the beginning of innovation was birthed due to the discovery of electricity by Michael Faraday. The innovation has been among the most considerable discoveries of man globally since it created light and has necessitated various inventions and advancements in science and physics (Yeang, 2024). Electricity is the only form of energy that individuals globally depend on to live and perform duties, with most industries depending on it in producing goods. Even though it has history back to antiquity in Ancient Greece when amber was rubbed and attracted small light objects, and when Thales of Miletus, a philosopher, invented the existence of light objects, the 19th century changed the global prospects and innovations (Heilbron, 2022). However, this invention was superseded by inventors such as Benjamin Franklin, Alessandro Volta and Michael Faraday. Electromagnetism, an essential force in nature, moves charges, influencing electricity production. These forces also contain molecules considered electrical forces and are linked to the influence of magnetism on electricity (Firstenberg, 2020). Electricity is usually generated, transmitted, and converted to other forms of energy, such as radiation, motion, light, heat and radioactive waves, making it versatile. It has been versatile through storage perspectives and the stronghold of various luxuries and infrastructure individuals live to cherish. Therefore, this study explores the foundational contributions of significant figures in developing electrical theory.
Early Electricity Pioneers and Their Contributions
The study of electricity and magnetism has been evolving with new inventions, hence the better outcomes globally. These evolutions were necessitated by inventors such as Benjamin Franklin, Alessandro Volta and Michael Faraday, the founding fathers of inventing electricity.
Benjamin Franklin
The mid-18th century saw the beginning of electrical experiments by most English scientists, including Benjamin Franklin, through simple devices borrowed from friends. He proposed inventing positive and electrical charges and conducted experiments linking the relationships between electricity and lighting (Akarsu et al., 2022). Benjamin also came up with inventions suggesting the concepts of lightning rods and the idea of grounding through erecting iron placed on buildings to attract during storms (Yeang, 2024). The proposal was published in London and conducted in France and England, demonstrating the kite-out experiment by the scientist during a storm with a key attached to drawing electrical charges (Kinsler, 2020). These experiments proved that lightning was a type of electricity that individuals could generate to safeguard tall buildings from destruction and to continue performing experiments. The lightning rod offered an effective source for charging for items such as Leyden jars.
Alessandro Volta
In 1880, an Italian scientist, Alessandro Volta, contributed significantly to the invention of electricity. His inventions included alternating discs consisting of copper and zinc elements, with cardboard pieces soaked in brine within metals. The experiment influenced the construction of electricity generation, making the front liner establish equipment that could practically generate electricity (Sthanapati, 2020). Benjamin demonstrated the engineering invention with the first battery to be produced in electricity generation, which was later developed for long distances in a reliable and steady state (Giuliani, 2021). The distinguished scientist studied statistical spark and voltaic piles integrated with the concept of electric potential in experimenting with atmospheric electricity, opposing the theory that electricity was generated from animal tissues but creating awareness that electricity can be produced through contact with different metals within a fluid environment. The unit of electricity, volt, was named after him in 1826; he contributed to the understanding of chemical reactions in electricity with an experiment supported by Fourier’s study of heat conduction, which proposed reactions and laws illustrating the relationships between resistance, current, and voltage (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). Volta also explained the results of achieving galvanic electricity with Ohm’s law coming into place, describing these relationships. The strategy birthed the equation of I=V/R, demonstrating that the volume of steady current through a material is directly proportional to the voltage across the material divided by the material’s electrical resistance.
Michael Faraday
Like any scientific innovation and development globally, one scientist always goes overboard to achieve what their predecessors could not. In the 19th century, Michael Faraday was among the scientists who achieved the impossible in electricity by discovering electromagnetic induction and principles of electromagnetic fields, outliving other inventions and transforming the globe. As a chemist and physicist, he is popularly recognized for discovering electromagnetic induction and electrolysis laws, with the optimal invention being the electric motor (Patero, 2021). The scientist illustrated and developed the principles integrating electric elements, demonstrating these materials have specific and different inductive thresholds. His role in electromagnetism is among the most essential globally because electricity is generated through induction, showing the reliance between electricity and magnetism (Akarsu & Genç, 2022). The discovery entailed electricity generation through wire and magnetism, and he developed the first electricity transformers using an induction ring (Guliani, 2021). These developments influenced the design of modern electric generators, motors and generators.
Michael Faraday’s works also influenced the discovery that plane-polarized light passing through a glass could rotate through the influence of magnetic fields. The discovery proved that electricity induced from magnets with voltaic electricity produced from the battery and static electricity consecutively. This led to the formulation of Faraday’s laws of electrolysis with a formula which was (2.39) F =N A q e=6.022140857 x10 23 x 1.60217662 x 10-19 = 96485 (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). The unit of F is Coulombs per mole, C mole -1 (Patil & Patil, 2021). The primary advantage of this law is that it connects the mass-produced with the generated electric charge. These findings reveal that these scientists developed tremendous discoveries in electricity and the electromagnetic field. Electricity utilisation has been inevitable globally in every individual’s life, and this dependency results from these discoveries (Baumgärtel & Maher, 2022). The future of men will continually rely on electricity, with discoveries integrated with technological innovation advanced by various researchers and scientists (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). The adoption of solar energy in powering man’s daily needs is at an advanced stage, but the influence of electromagnetism remains the cornerstone of electricity production.
Impact on Electrical Theory
Advancements in Understanding Electric Phenomena
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a critical period in establishing scientific knowledge of electricity, practically evident in individuals’ lives. Electric phenomena have been interesting to scientists and have been the principle of intellectual philosophy since the invention of electricity. Electric phenomena changed with various advances, such as the invention of the Voltaic pile and the work of Alessandro Volta, which consisted of an electrical cell series, transforming electricity from a transient phenomenon (Moura, 2023). A year later, Carlisle and Nicholson electrolyzed water, further advanced by Humphry Davy in decomposing substances, prompting the discovery of sodium and potassium. The development of the battery, designed in 1836 by William Cruickshank, influenced the production of the cell, a primary battery, advancing and having primary roles in the practical utilization of electricity since it could be stored and used when needed (Ayres & Ayres, 2021). The 1819 discovery of a compass needle deflecting away from the wire with an electric current influenced research in this field by Hans Christian Ørsted (Bucci, 2020). The findings also influenced the development of mathematical theory by a French scientist, André-Marie Ampère, elaborating on electromagnetic phenomena supported by Michael Faraday, who built on all these works and inventions and closed the engineering and knowledge gaps through highly critical discoveries (Yeang, 2024). The discovery of mutual induction laid the foundation for subsequent advancements in improving mechanisms impacting future developments.
Practical Applications Stemming from Theoretical Developments
Electricity transformation has influenced scientific curiosity into practical instruments with two development threads: understanding electricity and scientific theoretical developments in daily usage. After its invention, subsequent decades saw the establishment of electrical movements with Tesla’s 1883 induction motor (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). Significant advancements in electromagnetic understanding influenced the development of generators, with a milestone in self-excitation, which used current to energize wires (Patil & Patil, 2021). Electricity generation development became advanced and reliable with renewed electric lighting, which improved during the 19th century and prompted the construction of the first high-pressure power station (Baumgärtel & Maher, 2022). Even though it was unsuccessful, it revealed the possibility of electricity dissemination and large-scale production.
The establishment of induction coils influenced transformer development, enabling the transmission of electrical energy from one circuit to another through the inductively integrated conductors. In supporting this, Gaulard and Gibbs constructed a practical system that allowed for circuit alteration, overcoming practical challenges related to long-distance electricity transfer and connecting various voltages to a similar supply (Ayres & Ayres, 2021). By the 1880s, the transformers were open-type, but with time, the practicalities illustrated the closed transformers (Akarsu & Genç, 2022). Transformers developments illustrated the significance of common knowledge and theoretical applications in electricity development.
Influence on Subsequent Generations of Scientists and Engineers
Developing electricity generation is an electrical phenomenon with new technological advancements. The first of these advancements was the invention of the telegraph. Through the discovery of electromagnetic forces, the first telegraph was developed by Wheatstone and Cooke, then Samuel Morse in 1838, leading to its widespread adoption in 1870, with 8.9 million messages being sent in the U.K. alone (Patero, 2021). The advancements of electric currents influenced communications between nations, with submarine telegraphs being developed and cross-channel cables constructed across the Atlantic. At the end of the 19th century, telegraphy was the leading technology; however, Bell, Grey and House were invented, leading to the rapid development of telephony (Giuliani, 2021). Towards the end, telegraphy had become the leading electric technology with which the average person was familiar. Electric advancements led to the development of radio waves, followed by the initiation of the first commercial radio company in 1897 and the first commercial message sent in 1898, enhancing the communication landscape.
Relevance in Modern Times
Continued Use of Foundational Principles in Contemporary Electrical Engineering
The critical developments in recognizing the scientific aspects behind electricity, with great scientists such as Faraday being the front runners on the practical establishments of technology, transforming electricity into a daily tool, and developing foundations for the vast electrification programs emerging in the 20th century. Electricity evolution into electrical engineering influenced the invention of various units of measurement, leading to the international standardization of measurements through the development of coulombs, farad, amperes and henry (Baumgärtel & Maher, 2022). The 1893 Chicago Conference determined the standardization of electrical engineering (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). These advancements were later applied in the current electrical engineering technologies, influencing the development of various devices, including computers, televisions, and phones, using different principles to produce multiple devices for entertainment and communication.
Historical Significance in Shaping Our Understanding of Electricity
Electricity advancements have rapidly evolved, with scientists such as Benjamin, Volta and Faraday influencing human scientific knowledge and transforming global interactions. In the current world, we are immersed in science, technology, and innovation, with electricity being the major game changer (Murphy, 2021). Today, it is a widely used, reliable, and affordable energy source. In the past, it was only used for lighting, but the invention of domestic and industrial appliances pushed the electricity demand. In the 21st century, electricity has evolved with various innovations to generate it for better usage.
Implications for Future Advancements in Electrical Theory and Technology
The inventions in electrical theory and technology have future implications for humanity. The electrical engineering landscape has transformed the modern era, from the invention of electricity to the establishment of high-tech computer systems. Electrical engineering and technology have rapidly evolved in the 21st century, influencing groundbreaking innovations within various sectors (Fontes & Rodrigues, 2021). Power electronics have transformed with advancements in renewable energy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), automation and robotics, nanotechnology and integrated circuit (IC) design (Moura, 2023). These advancements can change the harnessing of energy and storage, improving connectivity and communication. Optimization processes have invented efficient and easy-to-use electronic devices, pushing technological limits. Electrical technology promises a globe driven by intelligent systems, sustainable energy, and interconnected appliances, with implications for global challenges, including automation, climate change, and quality of life.
Conclusions
The electrical innovations and discoveries by various scientists such as Volta, Faraday, and Benjamin became a historical turning point since, without them, it would have been challenging to live in this current world since they have influenced changing technologies. The inventions, theories, and formulas resulting from the invention of electricity have become milestones in transforming people’s lives. In the 19th century, the primary appeal of electricity was illustrated as the pursuit of modernity. Electrical technologies have revolutionized the future, laying the foundations of liberated universal ideals and theories in advancing their transformations, leading to quality outcomes globally in all sectors and environments. The history of electricity invention has been a long and fascinating journey, with various scientists participating in their efforts to birth the existing form of electricity. The turning point was in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin proved that static electricity and lighting were similar. Michael Faraday grounded his work on these facts, hence the breakthrough in electricity generation. However, electricity’s future is uncertain due to high demand and low supply, prompting alternative energy usage in conserving the environment.
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