Electrical engineering
Discipline studying electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism since the 19th century.
Electrical engineering focuses on how electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism are studied, designed, and put to use in equipment, devices, and systems. It became a recognized profession in the second half of the 1800s, following the commercial success of the electric telegraph, the telephone, and the generation, distribution, and use of electrical power. The field covers a wide range of areas, such as computer engineering, systems engineering, power engineering, telecommunications, radio-frequency engineering, signal processing, instrumentation, control engineering, photovoltaic cells, electronics, and optics and photonics. Many of these overlap with other engineering branches, leading to numerous specializations like hardware engineering, power electronics, electromagnetics and waves, microwave engineering, nanotechnology, electrochemistry, renewable energies, mechatronics and control, and electrical materials science. Machine learning and computer science techniques are also studied further because they historically developed within electrical engineering.
Most electrical engineers hold a degree in electrical engineering, electronic engineering, or electrical and electronic engineering. Practicing engineers often obtain professional certification and may belong to a professional body or an international standards organization, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), or the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, formerly the IEE). They work across a huge variety of industries, and the necessary skills vary just as widely—from circuit theory to project management. The tools and equipment an engineer might use also range broadly, from a simple voltmeter to complex design and manufacturing software.
Electricity has drawn scientific interest since at least the early 1600s. William Gilbert was an early key figure in electrical science, being the first to clearly separate magnetism from static electricity, and he is credited with coining the term "electricity." He also built the versorium, a device for detecting static charges. In 1762, Swedish professor Johan Wilcke invented a device later called the electrophorus, which produced a static electric charge. By 1800, Alessandro Volta had created the voltaic pile
- field
- Engineering
- known_for
- Study, design, and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism
- first_department
- Technische Universität Darmstadt (1882)
- first_degree_course
- Technische Universität Darmstadt (1883)
- first_US_graduates
- Cornell University (1885)
- first_US_department
- Cornell University (1885)
- key_standards_body
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Lore & Background
Electricity has been a subject of scientific interest since at least the early 17th century. William Gilbert was a prominent early electrical scientist, and was the first to draw a clear distinction between magnetism and static electricity. He is credited with establishing the term 'electricity.' He also designed the versorium: a device that detects the presence of statically charged objects. In 1762 Swedish professor Johan Wilcke invented a device later named electrophorus that produced a static electric charge. By 1800 Alessandro Volta had developed the voltaic pile, a forerunner of the electric battery.
In the 19th century, research into the subject started to intensify. Notable developments include the work of Hans Christian Ørsted, who discovered in 1820 that an electric current produces a magnetic field; of William Sturgeon, who in 1825 invented the electromagnet; of Joseph Henry and Edward Davy, who invented the electrical relay in 1835; of Georg Ohm, who in 1827 quantified the relationship between electric current and potential difference; of Michael Faraday, the discoverer of electromagnetic induction in 1831; and of James Clerk Maxwell, who in 1873 published a unified theory of electricity and magnetism. Electrical telegraphy may be considered the first example of electrical engineering. Practitioners had created a global electric telegraph network, and the first professional electrical engineering institutions were founded in the UK and the US.
During the development of radio, many scientists and inventors contributed to radio technology and electronics. The mathematical work of James Clerk Maxwell during the 1850s had shown the relationship of different forms of electromagnetic radiation. In his classic physics experiments of 1888, Heinrich Hertz proved Maxwell's theory by transmitting radio waves with a spark-gap transmitter. In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi began work on a way to adapt the known methods of transmitting and detecting these waves.
Reader's Guide
Electrical engineering became a profession in the later 19th century, driven by the commercialization of the electric telegraph, telephone, and electrical power. The first professional electrical engineering institutions were founded in the UK and the US. The Technische Universität Darmstadt founded the world's first department of electrical engineering in 1882 and introduced the first-degree course in 1883. Cornell University produced the world's first electrical engineering graduates in 1885. The spread of alternating current set off in the United States what has been called the war of the currents between a George Westinghouse backed AC system and a Thomas Edison backed DC power system, with AC being adopted as the overall standard. Electrical engineers work in a very wide range of industries, and the skills required are likewise variable. The tools and equipment that an individual engineer may need range from a simple voltmeter to sophisticated design and manufacturing software. The discipline's legacy includes the global electric telegraph network, standardized units of measure (volt, ampere, coulomb, ohm, farad, henry) established at an international conference in Chicago in 1893, and the founding of professional bodies such as the IEEE and IET.
Did You Know?
- William Gilbert was the first to draw a clear distinction between magnetism and static electricity and is credited with establishing the term 'electricity.'
- The world's first department of electrical engineering was founded at Technische Universität Darmstadt in 1882.
- Cornell University produced the world's first electrical engineering graduates in 1885.
- The international standardization of the units volt, ampere, coulomb, ohm, farad, and henry was achieved at an international conference in Chicago in 1893.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Electrical engineering?
Electrical engineering is a discipline devoted to studying, designing, and applying electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism across devices and systems. It crystallized as a recognized profession in the late 1800s, spurred by the commercial triumphs of the telegraph, the telephone, and electrical power generation.
What are Electrical engineering's powers and role?
Its capabilities stretch across computer engineering, telecommunications, signal processing, control systems, photovoltaic cells, and power distribution, among many other subfields. In practice, it is the invisible force behind virtually every modern electronic device and the infrastructure that delivers electricity to homes and factories.
How does Electrical engineering's story end?
It has no final chapter—the field keeps expanding as new sub-disciplines and technologies emerge. Its ongoing narrative runs from early telegraph lines through today's advanced signal processing and renewable-energy systems, with no sign of concluding.
Why is Electrical engineering important?
Without it, there would be no reliable power grids, no telecommunications networks, no modern computing, and no electronic instrumentation in medicine or industry. It is arguably the foundational discipline that made the entire modern technological age possible.
Where did Electrical engineering first appear?
The world's first dedicated department was founded at Technische Universität Darmstadt in 1882, with its inaugural degree course the following year. In the United States, Cornell University established the first American department and awarded the first U.S. electrical engineering degrees in 1885.
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