HANS CHRISTIAN ØRSTED: BIOGRAPHY, EXPERIMENTS, CONTRIBUTIONS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2024

Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851) was a Danish-born physicist and chemist, known for having determined the first connection between electric currents and magnetic fields. His experimental studies inspired other contemporary scholars, such as André-Marie Ampère and Michael Faraday, to develop contributions in the field of electromagnetism.

He also discovered an organic chemical component of pepper, piperine, an alkaloid that has subsequently been used in some forms of traditional medicine. This finding together with its preparation of metallic aluminum, isolated by electrolysis, were part of its most important contributions in the chemical area.

Hans Christian Ørsted. Source: Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

As part of recognition, the name Oersted was adopted to refer to the physical unit of magnetic field strength, specifically in the centimeter-gram-second system.

Biography

Early years

Hans Christian Ørsted was born in Rudkjobing, on the Danish island of Langeland, on August 14, 1777. He was the first child of Karen Hermandsen and Søren Christian, who was an apothecary. As a child, while working with his father, he developed an interest in science and managed to gain practical knowledge of the fundamentals of chemistry.

His early education was self-taught, like that of his brother. In 1793 both took the entrance exams to the University of Copenhagen, managing to pass them with honors. There he studied astronomy, physics, mathematics, chemistry, and pharmacy.

In 1796 Ørsted was recognized for his work in physics and the following year he received his degree as a pharmacist with high honors. Later, in 1799 he reached the degree of doctorate. He was noted for his dissertation based on the works of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, of whom he was a passionate defender, which was titled The Architectonics of Natural Metaphysics.

Research beginnings

In 1800 Ørsted began to investigate the nature of electricity and to conduct his first electrical experiments while in charge of a pharmacy. Shortly before, Alessandro Volta had spread his invention of the voltaic pile, which was inspiration for several scholars, including Ørsted.

He published some observations on acids and alkalis generated by an electric current. That same year he received a travel grant and a public grant, with which he was able to travel the following three years through Europe and visit important science venues such as Paris or Berlin.

It was in Germany that he met the physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter, who claimed that there was a connection between electricity and magnetism. Ørsted recognized that the idea made perfect sense, if Kant's thought of the unity of nature was taken into account. From that moment he began his investigations in physics, emphasizing electrical currents and acoustics.

In 1806 he became a professor at the University of Copenhagen, directed a comprehensive program in physics and chemistry, and also established new laboratories on the student campus. That same year he took under his wing William Christopher Zeise and gave him a position as a conference assistant.

In 1812 he wrote an essay in which he first developed ideas about the connection between magnetism, electricity, and galvanism. With the help of Marcel de Serres he translated it into French and in 1819 made it known in Latin, under the title Experimenta circa Efficaciam Conflictus Electrici in acum Magneticam.

During those years, he married Inger Birgitte Ballum, with whom he had three sons and four daughters.

Dedication to electromagnetism

It was in April 1820, while preparing for an evening lecture, that Ørsted noticed a compass needle deviate from magnetic north when the electrical current in a battery was switched on and off.

Initially he thought that all sides of a cable carrying an electric current generated irradiation of magnetic effects, just like light and heat.

About three months later, after further investigation, he published other findings. He then showed how an electric current produces a circular magnetic field as it flows through a wire.

This discovery generated a lot of scientific research in the area of ​​electrodynamics. In addition, the French Academy awarded him 3,000 francs and the Royal Society of London awarded him the Copley Medal.

Since 1824 he was the founder of several scientific organizations to spread knowledge of the natural sciences, which later became the Danish Meteorological Institute and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office.

The following year, this Danish physicist made another of his great contributions to chemistry. It was the isolation of aluminum for the first time, through a reduction of aluminum chloride.

Ørsted founded the College of Advanced Technology, which later became the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 1829.

Last years

Ørsted did not limit himself to scientific research, he also had an interest in the politics of his time and in literary writing.

In 1850, a national jubilee was celebrated in honor of the 50-year relationship with the University of Copenhagen. During this time, he contracted a cold that slowly deteriorated his health.

On March 9, 1851, Hans Christian Ørsted died in Copenhagen, months before his 74th birthday. He was buried in the Assistens cemetery. His public funeral was attended by distinguished personalities from the Danish capital, as a sign of respect and high esteem for his contributions in life.

He is considered one of the greatest scientific benefactors of his time but he also contributed greatly to the constitutional freedom that Denmark later enjoyed.

Experiments

Ørsted discovers electromagnetism in 1820. Source: Illustrerad vetenskap 10/2011

In 1820 when he tried to show the connection between electricity and magnetism, he was unexpectedly successful. He empirically demonstrated that a current conducting wire can move the magnetic needle of a compass. Thus, there may be interaction between electrical forces on the one hand and magnetic forces on the other, which at that time was revolutionary.

Months later he described this effect as follows:

“When the opposite electrical powers are in circumstances that offer resistance, they are subject to a new form of action, and in this state it acts on the magnetic needle in such a way that the positive electricity repels the south and attracts the north pole of the compass.; and negative electricity repels the north and attracts the south pole; but the direction followed by the electric powers in this state is not a right line, but a spiral, turning from the left hand to the right ”.

Contributions

His experiment generated a lot of research on electrodynamics throughout the scientific community. It especially inspired the French physicist André-Marie Ampère to develop a unique mathematical formula, to represent the magnetic forces between current-carrying conductors.

Some historians consider it an important step towards a unified concept of energy and it was arguably a milestone that paved the way for modern telecommunications.

After enunciating his theory, he continued with many other experiments regarding the compression of water, as well as of a chemical nature. Among them he managed to demonstrate the existence of the metal aluminum in alumina.

Ørsted was the first modern thinker to explicitly describe and name the thought experiment. It is a resource of the imagination in which a series of actions performed in a figurative way are proposed. The purpose is to understand how a phenomenon works, without the need to actually experiment with it.

This Danish physicist dedicated himself to disseminating scientific knowledge because his ideal was that they be accessible to all classes. For this he wrote numerous scientific papers and articles, such as Aanden i Naturen (1845) and Natur-loeren's Mechanische Deel (1847). He also offered courses and lectures even to women, at a time when it was very unusual.

Among his most prominent published works are Videnskaben our Naturen's Almindelige Love (1811), Förste Indledning til den Almindelige Naturloere (1811), Experimenta circa Efficaciam Conflictus Electrici in acum Magneticam (1819).

Recognitions

His 1820 discovery earned him the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of England, as well as the top mathematical prize in gift from the Paris Institute.

The honors never lacked on his scientific career. He was a member of the French Institute, perpetual secretary of the Royal Society of Sciences of Copenhagen, knight of the Prussian Order of Merit, of the French Legion of Honor and of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog, as well as a State Councilor.

Oersted was the unit of measurement for magnetic reluctance that was maintained until 1978, when the international system of units decided to change it and adopt the Ampere / meter as official.

In honor of this scientist, the first Danish satellite launched in 1999 bears his surname.

Currently notable researchers are awarded two medals in the name of Ørsted. One of them is the Oersted Medal for contributions to the teaching of physics, awarded by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The other, issued in Denmark by the Society for the Diffusion of Natural Sciences, is known as the HC Ørsted Medal for Danish scientists.

References

1. Hans Christian Ørsted. (2017, July 27). New World Encyclopedia. Recovered from org
2. Wikipedia contributors. (2019, July 14). Hans Christian Ørsted. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org
3. Encyclopædia Britannica (2019, August 10). Hans Christian Ørsted. Recovered from britannica.com
4. NNDB (2019). Hans Christian Oersted. Recovered from nndb.com
5. "Oersted, Hans Christian." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Recovered from Encyclopedia.com