Hans Christian Ørsted
Encyclopedia
Hans Christian Ørsted was a Danish physicist
and chemist
who discovered that electric current
s create magnetic field
s, an important aspect of electromagnetism
. He shaped post-Kantian philosophy
and advances in science throughout the late 19th century.
In 1824, Ørsted founded Selskabet for Naturlærens Udbredelse (SNU), a society to disseminate knowledge of the natural sciences. He was also the founder of predecessor organizations which eventually became the Danish Meteorological Institute
and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office
. Ørsted was the first modern thinker to explicitly describe and name the thought experiment
.
A leader of the so-called Danish Golden Age, Ørsted was a close friend of Hans Christian Andersen
and the brother of politician and jurist Anders Sandøe Ørsted
, who eventually served as Danish prime minister
(1853–54).
The Oersted
(Oe), the cgs
unit of magnetic H-field strength, is named after him.
. As a young boy Ørsted developed his interest in science while working for his father, who owned a pharmacy. He and his brother Anders
received most of their early education through self-study at home, going to Copenhagen in 1793 to take entrance exams for the University of Copenhagen
, where both brothers excelled academically. By 1796 Ørsted had been awarded honors for his papers in both aesthetics
and physics
. He earned his doctorate in 1799 for a dissertation based on the works of Kant
entitled "The Architectonicks of Natural Metaphysics".
In 1801 Ørsted received a travel scholarship
and public grant which enabled him to spend three years travelling across Europe
. In Germany
he met Johann Wilhelm Ritter
, a physicist who believed there was a connection between electricity
and magnetism
. This made sense to Ørsted since he believed in Kantian ideas about the unity of nature and that deep relationships existed between natural phenomena.
Their conversations drew Ørsted into the study of physics. He became a professor at the University of Copenhagen
in 1806 and continued his research with electric currents and acoustics. Under his guidance the University developed a comprehensive physics and chemistry program and established new laboratories.
needle deflected from magnetic north when an electric current from a battery was switched on and off, confirming a direct relationship between electricity and magnetism. His initial interpretation was that magnetic effects radiate from all sides of a wire carrying an electric current, as do light and heat. Three months later he began more intensive investigations and soon thereafter published his findings, showing that an electric current produces a circular magnetic field as it flows through a wire. This discovery was not due to mere chance, since Ørsted had been looking for a relation between electricity and magnetism for several years. The special symmetry of the phenomenon was possibly one of the difficulties that retarded the discovery.
It is sometimes claimed that Gian Domenico Romagnosi
was the first person who found a relationship between electricity and magnetism, about two decades before Ørsted's 1820 discovery of electromagnetism. However, Romagnosi's experiments did not deal with electric currents, and only showed that an electrostatic charge from a voltaic pile could deflect a magnetic needle. His researches were published in two Italian newspapers and were largely overlooked by the scientific community.
Ørsted's findings stirred much research into electrodynamics throughout the scientific community, influencing French physicist André-Marie Ampère
's developments of a single mathematical formula to represent the magnetic forces between current-carrying conductors. Ørsted's work also represented a major step toward a unified concept of energy.
In 1822, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
by producing aluminium
for the first time. While an aluminium-iron alloy had previously been developed by British scientist and inventor Humphry Davy
, Ørsted was the first to isolate the element via a reduction of aluminium chloride
.
In 1829, Ørsted founded Den Polytekniske Læreanstalt ('College of Advanced Technology') which was later renamed the Technical University of Denmark
(DTU).
Ørsted died at Copenhagen in 1851, aged 73, and was buried in the Assistens Cemetery in the same city.
The centimetre-gram-second system (CGS) unit
of magnetic induction
(oersted
) is named for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism.
The 100 danske kroner
note issued from 1950 to 1970 carried an engraving of Ørsted. The buildings that are home to the Department of Chemistry
and the Institute for Mathematical Sciences
at the University of Copenhagen
are named The H.C. Ørsted Institute
, after him. The first Danish satellite, launched 1999, was named after Ørsted. Two medals are awarded in Ørsted's name: the Oersted Medal
for notable contributions in the teaching of physics in America, awarded by American Association of Physics Teachers
, along with the H. C. Ørsted Medal for Danish scientists, awarded by the Danish Selskabet for Naturlærens Udbredelse (Society for the Dissemination of Natural Science), which Ørsted founded.
. Shortly before his death, he submitted a collection of articles for publication under the title "The Soul in Nature". The book presents Ørsted's life philosophy and views on a wide variety of issues.
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
who discovered that electric current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
s create magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
s, an important aspect of electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
. He shaped post-Kantian philosophy
Kantianism
Kantianism is the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher born in Königsberg, Prussia . The term Kantianism or Kantian is sometimes also used to describe contemporary positions in philosophy of mind, epistemology, and ethics.-Ethics:Kantian ethics are deontological, revolving entirely...
and advances in science throughout the late 19th century.
In 1824, Ørsted founded Selskabet for Naturlærens Udbredelse (SNU), a society to disseminate knowledge of the natural sciences. He was also the founder of predecessor organizations which eventually became the Danish Meteorological Institute
Danish Meteorological Institute
The Danish Meteorological Institute is the official Danish meteorological institute, administrated by the Ministry of Transport and Energy. The institute makes weather forecasts and observations for Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands....
and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office
European Patent Organisation
The European Patent Organisation is a public international organisation created in 1977 by its contracting states to grant patents in Europe under the European Patent Convention of 1973...
. Ørsted was the first modern thinker to explicitly describe and name the thought experiment
Thought experiment
A thought experiment or Gedankenexperiment considers some hypothesis, theory, or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences...
.
A leader of the so-called Danish Golden Age, Ørsted was a close friend of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
and the brother of politician and jurist Anders Sandøe Ørsted
Anders Sandøe Ørsted
Anders Sandøe Ørsted was a Danish politician and jurist. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark in 1853-1854 as leader of the Cabinet of Ørsted....
, who eventually served as Danish prime minister
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
(1853–54).
The Oersted
Oersted
Oersted is the unit of magnetizing field in the CGS system of units.-Difference between cgs and SI systems:...
(Oe), the cgs
Centimetre gram second system of units
The centimetre–gram–second system is a metric system of physical units based on centimetre as the unit of length, gram as a unit of mass, and second as a unit of time...
unit of magnetic H-field strength, is named after him.
Early life and studies
Ørsted was born in RudkøbingRudkøbing
Rudkøbing is a town on the island of Langeland in Denmark with a population of 4,697 belonging to Langeland municipality .-References:...
. As a young boy Ørsted developed his interest in science while working for his father, who owned a pharmacy. He and his brother Anders
Anders Sandøe Ørsted
Anders Sandøe Ørsted was a Danish politician and jurist. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark in 1853-1854 as leader of the Cabinet of Ørsted....
received most of their early education through self-study at home, going to Copenhagen in 1793 to take entrance exams for the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, where both brothers excelled academically. By 1796 Ørsted had been awarded honors for his papers in both aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. He earned his doctorate in 1799 for a dissertation based on the works of Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
entitled "The Architectonicks of Natural Metaphysics".
In 1801 Ørsted received a travel scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and public grant which enabled him to spend three years travelling across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
he met Johann Wilhelm Ritter
Johann Wilhelm Ritter
Johann Wilhelm Ritter was a German chemist, physicist and philosopher. He was born in Samitz near Haynau in Silesia , and died in Munich.-Life and work:...
, a physicist who believed there was a connection between electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
. This made sense to Ørsted since he believed in Kantian ideas about the unity of nature and that deep relationships existed between natural phenomena.
Their conversations drew Ørsted into the study of physics. He became a professor at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
in 1806 and continued his research with electric currents and acoustics. Under his guidance the University developed a comprehensive physics and chemistry program and established new laboratories.
Electromagnetism
On 21 April 1820, during a lecture, Ørsted noticed a compassCompass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
needle deflected from magnetic north when an electric current from a battery was switched on and off, confirming a direct relationship between electricity and magnetism. His initial interpretation was that magnetic effects radiate from all sides of a wire carrying an electric current, as do light and heat. Three months later he began more intensive investigations and soon thereafter published his findings, showing that an electric current produces a circular magnetic field as it flows through a wire. This discovery was not due to mere chance, since Ørsted had been looking for a relation between electricity and magnetism for several years. The special symmetry of the phenomenon was possibly one of the difficulties that retarded the discovery.
It is sometimes claimed that Gian Domenico Romagnosi
Gian Domenico Romagnosi
Gian Domenico Romagnosi was an Italian philosopher, economist and jurist.-Biography:Gian Domenico Romagnosi was born in Salsomaggiore Terme....
was the first person who found a relationship between electricity and magnetism, about two decades before Ørsted's 1820 discovery of electromagnetism. However, Romagnosi's experiments did not deal with electric currents, and only showed that an electrostatic charge from a voltaic pile could deflect a magnetic needle. His researches were published in two Italian newspapers and were largely overlooked by the scientific community.
Ørsted's findings stirred much research into electrodynamics throughout the scientific community, influencing French physicist André-Marie Ampère
André-Marie Ampère
André-Marie Ampère 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....
's developments of a single mathematical formula to represent the magnetic forces between current-carrying conductors. Ørsted's work also represented a major step toward a unified concept of energy.
In 1822, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
.
Later years
In 1825, Ørsted made a significant contribution to chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
by producing aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
for the first time. While an aluminium-iron alloy had previously been developed by British scientist and inventor Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
, Ørsted was the first to isolate the element via a reduction of aluminium chloride
Aluminium chloride
Aluminium chloride is the main compound of aluminium and chlorine. It is white, but samples are often contaminated with iron trichloride, giving it a yellow colour. The solid has a low melting and boiling point. It is mainly produced and consumed in the production of aluminium metal, but large...
.
In 1829, Ørsted founded Den Polytekniske Læreanstalt ('College of Advanced Technology') which was later renamed the Technical University of Denmark
Technical University of Denmark
The Technical University of Denmark , often simply referred to as DTU, is a university just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions, and the...
(DTU).
Ørsted died at Copenhagen in 1851, aged 73, and was buried in the Assistens Cemetery in the same city.
Legacy
Units of measurement
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...
of magnetic induction
Magnetic induction
Magnetic induction may refer to one of the following:* Electromagnetic induction* Magnetic field B is sometimes called magnetic induction...
(oersted
Oersted
Oersted is the unit of magnetizing field in the CGS system of units.-Difference between cgs and SI systems:...
) is named for his contributions to the field of electromagnetism.
The 100 danske kroner
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
note issued from 1950 to 1970 carried an engraving of Ørsted. The buildings that are home to the Department of Chemistry
University of Copenhagen Department of Chemistry
Research and education in chemistry has been conducted at the University of Copenhagen Department of Chemistry since 1778, when the first Laboratorium Chymicum was established. Since then, the chemists have moved several times, usually to better surroundings. In 1962, Universitetets Kemiske...
and the Institute for Mathematical Sciences
University of Copenhagen Institute for Mathematical Sciences
The Department of Mathematical Sciences is an institute under the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen.The department is located in the E building of the Hans Christian Ørsted Institute, on Universitetsparken 5 in Copenhagen, Denmark....
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
are named The H.C. Ørsted Institute
Hans Christian Ørsted Institute
The Hans Christian Ørsted Institute at the University of Copenhagen is a building complex that houses the departments of Mathematics and Chemistry, as well as part of Physics. It is named after the physicist Hans Christian Ørsted , who discovered electromagnetism and was the first to isolate...
, after him. The first Danish satellite, launched 1999, was named after Ørsted. Two medals are awarded in Ørsted's name: the Oersted Medal
Oersted Medal
The Oersted Medal recognizes notable contributions to the teaching of physics. Established in 1936, it is awarded by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The award is named for Hans Christian Ørsted. It is the Association's most prestigious award....
for notable contributions in the teaching of physics in America, awarded by American Association of Physics Teachers
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members that reside in over 30 countries. AAPT publications include two peer-reviewed journals, the American...
, along with the H. C. Ørsted Medal for Danish scientists, awarded by the Danish Selskabet for Naturlærens Udbredelse (Society for the Dissemination of Natural Science), which Ørsted founded.
Writings
Ørsted was a published writer and poet. His poetry series Luftskibet ("The Airship") was inspired by the balloon flights of fellow physicist and stage magician Étienne-Gaspard RobertÉtienne-Gaspard Robert
Étienne-Gaspard Robert , often known by the stage name of "Robertson", was a prominent Belgian stage magician and influential developer of phantasmagoria. He was described by Charles Dickens as "an honourable and well-educated showman"...
. Shortly before his death, he submitted a collection of articles for publication under the title "The Soul in Nature". The book presents Ørsted's life philosophy and views on a wide variety of issues.
Further reading
- Dibner, Bern, Oersted and the discovery of electromagnetism, New York, Blaisdell (1962).
- Ole Immanuel Franksen, H. C. Ørsted – a man of the two cultures, Strandbergs Forlag, Birkerød, Denmark (1981). (Note: Both the original Latin version and the English translation of his 1820 paper "Experiments on the effect of a current of electricity on the magnetic needle" can be found in this book.)
External links
- Interactive Java Tutorial on Oersted's Compass Experiment National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
- The soul in nature : with supplementary contributions Publisher: London : H. G. Bohn (1852)