George Simon Ohm

Georg Ohm (1797-1854)

  Georg Simon Ohm was a German physicist who is best known f or Ohm's Law of electric conduction. This law states that the current, I, that flows in a circuit multiplied by the amount of resistance, R, is equal to the applied voltage, E. The law may be stated in symbols as E = I x R. The ohm, the unit of electrical resistance, is named in his honor. He is also known for work in mathematics and acoustics.
   Ohm was born in Erlanger, Germany, on March 16, 1787. After attending the local university, he was, in 1817, appointed pro­fessor of mathematics at the Jesuits' College at Cologne. He remained there until 1833 when he resigned to join the faculty of the Polytechnic School of Nuremberg. In 1849, he accepted an appointment as professor of mathematics at Munich. Ohm's numerous writings were of somewhat inferior quality. One exception was a pamphlet published in Berlin in 1827 which contained a summary of what is now known as Ohm's Law. His work was coldly received by his fellow scientists, and Georg Ohm was so deeply hurt that he resigned his position at the Jesuits' College, Cologne. His work began to be recognized, however, and in 1841 he was awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society in London. One year later he was made a foreign member of the Society.


What is the Ohm?
The ohm is the unit of resistance to the passage of an electric current. The ohm is the resistance causing a potential drop of one absolute volt when a steady current of one absolute ampere flows through it.