André-Marie Ampère
One of the founders of the science of classical electromagnetism, which he referred to as 'electrodynamics'.
Most quoted
"The most general law of electrodynamic action is that two elements of current attract or repel each other in the inverse ratio of the square of their distance, and in the direct ratio of the product of their lengths and of the sines of the angles which they make with the line joining them."
— from Théorie mathématique des phénomènes électrodynamiques, uniquement déduite de l'expérience, 1826
"The force between two current elements is proportional to the product of their lengths, to the product of the currents they carry, and to the sine of the angle between their directions, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them."
— from Mémoire sur la théorie mathématique des phénomènes électrodynamiques, uniquement déduite de l'expérience, 1826
"The facts are the only things that are certain in science, and the only way to arrive at truth is to observe them carefully and to deduce from them, by means of rigorous reasoning, the laws that govern them."
— from Essai sur la philosophie des sciences, ou Exposition analytique d'une classification naturelle de toutes les connaissances humaines
All quotes by André-Marie Ampère (369)
A joke on induction: it works best when you're not expecting it.
Art imitates nature, science reveals it.
Wisdom accumulates like charge in a capacitor.
The voltaic pile builds not just power, but understanding.
Grief for my father fuels the fire of inquiry.
Liberty's spark ignites true progress.
Comeback to a skeptic: Your doubt is the resistance; my proof, the current.
Key to electrochemistry: balance of attractions.
The meaning of existence: to connect disparate forces.
Family is the true magnetic field of the heart.
In art, as in physics, form follows force.
Humor in the lab: Experiments gone wrong are just negative charges.
Political wisdom: Govern as currents flow, with direction and strength.
Observation: Galvanic currents predict celestial motions? Perhaps not yet.
Life's profound lesson: From loss blooms innovation.
Aphorism: Knowledge is the conductor of progress.
Excerpt from memoir: The Revolution sharpened my mathematical edge.
Interview quip: Ampère measures more than volts; he measures wonder.
On deathbed: Let the current of eternity carry me home.
Major work passage: Thus, the molecular theory explains all.
Contemporaries of André-Marie Ampère
Other Physicss born within 50 years of André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836).