101 Andre Marie Ampere Facts For You To Learn From

Supriya Jain
Aug 31, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Dec 30, 2021
Edited by Sarah Nyamekye
Fact-checked by Shruti Thapa
Read about Andre Marie Ampere and his contributions.
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Do you know that the famous mathematician and scientist Andre Marie Ampere did not go to school?

André Marie Ampère is one of those persons whose name is inscribed on the Eiffel Tower! The measuring SI unit is also named after André Marie Ampère.

André Marie Ampère was a French physicist and contributed to modern electrical science. He belonged to an era of the French Revolution and was thus responsible for many scientific discoveries and theories. André Marie Ampère experimented with his knowledge about Physics and Mathematics.

He developed many physical theories. He did not receive any formal schooling and education like other children, and yet he went on to become a famous scientist and held his passion for his subjects.

André Marie Ampère carried out many experiments with electricity and formulated physical laws based on electrodynamic molecules and magnetism. Did you know that his son Jean Jacques Ampère was a well-known French philologist!

Here are some facts about André Marie Ampère that will surely inspire you to explore his work on experimental physics, electric currents, and mathematical theory. Afterward, also check Marie Curie facts and Aristotle facts.

Fun Facts About Andre Marie Ampere

André Marie Ampère is known to discover that electricity in a wire can either attract or repel another wire with electricity. This attraction is considered to be magnetic, but there isn't any need for magnets for this effect to happen.

Later, he also formulated Ampere's law of electromagnetism. He also discovered the electron and chemical element fluorine. The very well-known SI unit of measuring the electric current called the ampere is thus named after Andre Marie ampere in his honor.

He was born in 1775 in France. Andre Marie Ampere belonged to a well-to-do family in Lyon, France. His father, Jean Jacques Ampere, was a successful businessman.

Andre Marie Ampere's mother was the only daughter of a silk merchant, and her name was Jeanne Antoinette Desitieres- Sarcey. Jean Jacques Ampere already had a daughter before Andre Marie and was two years elder to Andre Marie. Andre Marie was fortunate to live a luxurious life.

When he was five, he moved from the city to the countryside near Poleymieux village, which is 6.25 mi (10 km) from his birthplace, Lyon in France. His father was really wealthy by this time, and hence they preferred to shift away from the city.

By the time Andre Marie was eight, he also had a second sister Josephine.

The time of Andre Marie ampere’s childhood was revolutionary and held a vision for the intelligentsia. This period was exciting for French history since Antoine Lavoisier was discovering the field of chemistry, the French enlightenment was established by Voltaire and Rousseau.

The entire French society was thus ready to accept the foundations of science, reason, and logic for their beliefs over the dominance of the religious preachings by the Catholic Church authorities and the State. This period thus had a great impact on the overall wellbeing and childhood of Ampere.

Facts About Andre Marie Ampere's Contribution

Ampere also stated that the chemical elements must be listed by their properties. At that time, among the only known 48 elements, Ampere tried to fit the 48 in a group of 15.

Did you know that the Ampere symbol is 'A'!

But the arrangement fell short for the periodic table to be complete, and thus later, after the discovery of other elements, they were established into a periodic table by Dmitri Mendeleev. André Marie Ampère is known to have successfully arranged the alkali earth metals and halogens.

Ampere also came up with a popular rule known as the right-hand grip rule in electromagnetism. Ampere loved to apply his knowledge of mathematics to his experiments and thus formulated the laws of electromagnetism.

He discovered Ampere's Law in 1823. The law was based on the reason that each wire generates a magnetic field around it and thus creates a force that causes the electricity to attract or repel in opposite directions.

This law was considered to be an electrodynamic phenomenon. Ampere was also named after the development of the Galvanometer, which is used to measure electric current. Andre Marie also developed many physical laws and physical theories.

For understanding the relationship between magnetism and electric current, he worked on the development of a mathematical and physical theory. He later defined electric current as of the movement of electric fluid in an enclosed circuit.

Andre Marie Ampere formulated Ampere's law of Electromagnetism.

Facts About Andre Marie Ampere's Education

Ampere’s father was a great believer in Rousseau and admired his theories. Rousseau was one of the Leaders of the French enlightenment who had put forward some theories based on science and logic.

Ampere’s father decided to follow Rousseau’s approach to education. Rousseau advocated that the students need not go to formal schools but rather develop an interest in one particular subject and enjoy learning more about it.

This approach was chosen for Ampere, too, hence he did not receive any formal education. Andre Marie Ampere was very pleased with this fact and enjoyed learning whatever he liked.

He was allowed to read books from the library that belonged to his father. This method was really successful and worked well for Ampere. He eventually developed an interest in gaining knowledge and explored many subjects, and repeatedly read the pages of encyclopedias. He knew all the pages by heart and learned many things.

Andre Marie Ampere did not reject the authority of the Church even though he was born in the era of the french enlightenment. Andre Marie Ampere’s father played a major role in upbringing Ampere and taking the call on his education methods.

Thirst for knowledge introduced him to the subject of mathematics, and at the age of 13, he started studying Mathematics from the books in his father's library.

He also submitted a paper to the Academy of Lyon, which was sadly rejected, but he developed a passion for the subject.

He wanted to study further, and his father bought him advanced books to improve his knowledge. He then went to Lyon, where he received some formal lessons in calculus by Abbot Daburbon.

This was the first time that Andre Marie Ampere had any formal teaching and lessons in his life. Ampere’s father was a very sound decision-maker of Ampere’s education.

He also took Ampere to physics classes and thus learned lessons on physics. Along with Mathematics, Ampere was now developing an interest to learn physics too and read many books on it. This is the reason why Ampere went on to become a well-known mathematician and scientist.

Facts About Andre Marie Ampere's Teaching Career

In late 1797 when Andre Marie Ampere was 22 years old, he started his teaching career as a tutor. He was excellent in teaching and proved to be a master of Mathematics by guiding the students.

He began teaching and started his own shop in Lyon as a tutor, and many students and young boys were willing to learn from him.

These tutoring skills were worth appreciating and soon were noticed by the intellectuals in Lyon. They were amazed by Ampere’s knowledge about Mathematics and his enthusiasm in teaching the younger generation.

In 1802, Ampere joined as a school teacher in the Bourg town, which is around 40 mi (64 km) from Lyon. Later he came back to Lyon and started teaching in another institution.

In 1804, he moved to Paris, the capital of France, where he was given the opportunity to teach in classes at the university level. He taught in Ecole Polytechnique and enjoyed the time teaching and interacting with the students. His wisdom was impressive, and so the senior mathematicians promoted him to be a full-time Professor of Mathematics in 1809.

Thus he became a professor without any formal qualification to teach just on the basis of his passion for the subject and the skill of teaching, his contribution to experimental physics, electric currents, and mathematical theory. After his death, his son continued his legacy, albeit in a different field.

Jean Jacques Ampère was a well-known French philologist as well as a widely recognized man of letters.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 101 Andre Marie Ampere facts for you to learn from, then why not take a look at William Booth facts or William Dampier facts.

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

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Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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Fact-checked by Shruti Thapa

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English

Shruti Thapa picture

Shruti ThapaBachelor of Arts specializing in English

With a passion for American, British, and children's literature, Shruti is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree at Garden City University, Bengaluru. Her fluency in Nepali, Hindi, and Mandarin demonstrates her linguistic abilities and global perspective. In addition to her literary pursuits, she has a keen interest in non-fiction literature, aesthetics, early childhood education, and Egyptian history. Shruti's research paper 'Bringing Art Illustrations In Education And Pop Culture' showcases her proficiency in these areas and her dedication to academic excellence.

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