Electricity is essential to modern society, and without it, everything from transportation, the economy, and military security would come to a standstill. Electrical engineering is an important discipline that studies electrical and magnetic phenomena to solve these problems and support our daily lives through the efficient use of energy and the design of electronic devices.
Electricity has become an essential part of modern society. It is hard to imagine life without electricity. If electricity were to disappear, all forms of transportation, including subways, would be paralyzed, the global economy would collapse, military security systems would collapse, and countries would be plunged into chaos. We would not be able to use our smartphones, computers, or even elevators. Electrical engineering is a discipline that deals with electricity, which plays a key role in our lives. However, many people associate electrical engineering with electricians, mechanics, or computer repair technicians. Therefore, in this article, we’re going to explain what electrical engineering is so that you can easily understand what it is.
Electrical engineering can be divided into two main parts. First, it’s the study and application of electrical phenomena, and second, it’s the study and application of magnetic phenomena. At first glance, these two disciplines may seem unrelated, but they have something in common: both electricity and magnetism are caused by electrons. The smallest unit of matter, the atom, is composed of a nucleus and electrons. The nucleus of an atom is made up of protons, which have a positive (+) charge, and neutrons, which are neutral, while electrons have a negative (-) charge. Electricity is the result of electrons in motion, while magnetism is the result of electrons at rest. So, let’s take a closer look at what we learn about these phenomena in electrical engineering.
Electrons can move for a variety of reasons, and the flow of electrons is called an electric current. The energy that electrons transfer as they move is called electrical energy. In electrical engineering, you’ll learn about the transfer and distribution of electrical energy, and the paths that current takes and the materials in those paths are collectively called circuits. In addition to current, there is also the concept of voltage in a circuit, which causes current to flow naturally from higher to lower, like the height of a slide. Voltage requires additional energy to make current flow from lower to higher.
The basic components of a circuit are resistors, inductors, and capacitors. A resistor impedes the flow of current, an inductor induces a voltage with a change in current, and a capacitor stores electrical energy. These three elements are labeled R, L, and C, respectively, and in electrical engineering, you learn to use them to design circuits that serve a purpose. For example, putting a smartphone’s top-of-the-line circuitry in a computer circuit won’t make the computer work properly. You need to design the right circuit for the purpose of each product so that the electronics can function properly.
Another major phenomenon that electrical engineering deals with is magnetism. All substances have electrons, and their electrical properties depend on the amount of electrons they have. Substances with more electrons have a negative charge, while those with fewer electrons have a positive charge. The forces generated by these charges are called magnetic phenomena. For example, like charges repel each other, and unlike charges attract each other, which is called Coulomb’s force. The interaction between a magnet and a piece of iron powder, which we often see in our daily lives, is due to Coulomb’s force.
Although electricity and magnetism seem to exist independently, they actually interact closely. The main discipline that studies this is electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is the study of the interaction between electricity and magnetism, and it has many applications in various fields. Electromagnetic waves are waves that result from the interaction of electrical and magnetic phenomena. Light is an example of an electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic waves are a medium that can contain and transmit a variety of information, and electrical engineering studies how information is contained and analyzed in this medium. For example, the antenna on your internet router picks up electrical signals and converts them into electromagnetic waves to deliver Wi-Fi signals.
Electrical engineering is further divided into power engineering, which deals with the efficient conversion and use of electrical energy; semiconductor engineering, which studies semiconductors; software-related disciplines, which deal with programming; control engineering, which controls electrically operated devices; and telecommunications engineering, which studies the principles and applications of telecommunications. Although these disciplines may seem separate, they all have in common that they are based on phenomena caused by electrons.
In conclusion, the various disciplines and technologies of electrical engineering have become indispensable in our daily lives. A smartphone is a collection of electrical engineering, and its touchscreen, operating system, LTE network, small camera, and battery are all applications of electrical engineering. As such, electrical engineering is an important discipline that drives the technological advancement of modern society.
