The journey to understanding the electromagnetic spectrum began with early studies of light. In the 17th century, Isaac Newton made a significant discovery when he passed white light through a glass prism. He observed that the light split into a spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. This demonstrated that white … Read more
The story of electromagnetic waves begins with the brilliant Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell. In the mid-19th century, Maxwell was the first to predict the existence of electromagnetic waves. He did this by combining the laws of electricity and magnetism into a set of equations that bear his name—Maxwell’s Equations. These equations suggested that electric … Read more
The story of displacement current begins with a brilliant 19th-century scientist named James Clerk Maxwell. He was a Scottish physicist who made significant contributions to the field of electromagnetism. In 1861, Maxwell was working on understanding how electric and magnetic fields interact. He was studying the behavior of electric fields in capacitors, which are devices … Read more
The story of the transformer begins in the 19th century. The principle of electromagnetic induction, which is the science behind transformers, was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831. However, it wasn’t until the 1880s that the first practical transformers were developed. In the early 1880s, inventors in Hungary created what we might consider the first … Read more
The concept of LC oscillations has its roots in the exploration of electrical phenomena in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this period, scientists were discovering the fundamental principles of electromagnetism that would eventually lead to the development of modern electronics. One of the key figures in the study of LC oscillations was … Read more
The concept of resonance comes from the Latin word “resonantia,” which means “echo” or “to resound”. It was first observed in acoustics, particularly in musical instruments. For example, when a string of a guitar is plucked, it vibrates and produces sound. If another string is tuned to the same note, it will start to vibrate … Read more
The story of the LCR circuit begins with the fundamental understanding of electricity and magnetism. In the 19th century, scientists like Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell laid the groundwork with their pioneering work on electromagnetic fields. Their discoveries showed that electric and magnetic fields could store energy, which is a principle that underpins the … Read more
The journey of capacitors began in the 18th century. The first device capable of storing electric charge was the Leyden jar, invented independently by Ewald von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek around 1745-46. These jars were essentially glass bottles partially filled with water and sealed with a metal wire passing through the cork top. The … Read more
The story of the inductor begins with the pioneering work of Michael Faraday. In 1831, Faraday conducted a series of experiments that led to the discovery of electromagnetic induction. He found that a changing magnetic field within a loop of wire induces an electric current in the wire. This was a groundbreaking discovery because it … Read more
The story of phasors begins with the need to simplify the mathematics of alternating current (AC) circuits. In the late 19th century, as the use of AC for power distribution became more prevalent, engineers faced complex calculations involving trigonometric functions due to the sinusoidal nature of AC. Enter Charles Proteus Steinmetz, a brilliant electrical engineer … Read more