Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology
ELE1112
Introduction to Electrical Engineering
Lecture Session: Electrical Engineering Profession
1. History of Electrical Engineering
The historical evolution of electrical engineering can be attributed, in part, to the work and
discoveries of the people in the following list.
William Gilbert (1540–1603), English physician, founder of magnetic science, published De
Magnete, a treatise on magnetism, in 1600.
Charles A. Coulomb (1736–1806), French engineer and physicist, published the laws of
electrostatics in seven memoirs to the French Academy of Science between 1785 and 1791. His
name is associated with the unit of charge.
James Watt (1736–1819), English inventor, developed the steam engine. His name is used to
represent the unit of power.
Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist, discovered the electric pile. The unit of
electric potential and the alternate name of this quantity (voltage) are named after him.
Hans Christian Oersted (1777–1851), Danish physicist, discovered the connection between
electricity and magnetism in 1820. The unit of magnetic field strength is named after him.
André Marie Ampère (1775–1836), French mathematician, chemist, and physicist,
experimentally quantified the relationship between electric current and the magnetic field. His
works were summarized in a treatise published in 1827. The unit of electric current is named
after him.
Georg Simon Ohm (1789–1854), German mathematician, investigated the relationship between
voltage and current and quantified the phenomenon of resistance. His first results were published
in 1827. His name is used to represent the unit of resistance.
Michael Faraday (1791–1867), English experimenter, demonstrated electromagnetic induction
in 1831. His electrical transformer and electromagnetic generator marked the beginning of the
age of electric power. His name is associated with the unit of capacitance.
Joseph Henry (1797–1878), American physicist, discovered self-induction around 1831, and his
name has been designated to represent the unit of inductance. He had also recognized the
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essential structure of the telegraph, which was later perfected by Samuel F. B. Morse (of the
Morse Code).
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), German mathematician, and Wilhelm Eduard Weber
(1804–1891), German physicist, published a treatise in 1833 describing the measurement of the
earth’s magnetic field. The gauss is a unit of magnetic field strength, while the weber is a unit of
magnetic flux.
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879), Scottish physicist, discovered the electromagnetic theory
of light and the laws of electrodynamics. The modern theory of electromagnetics is entirely
founded upon Maxwell’s equations.
Ernst Werner Siemens (1816–1892) and Wilhelm Siemens (1823–1883), German inventors
and engineers, contributed to the invention and development of electric machines, as well as to
perfecting electrical science. The modern unit of conductance is named after them.
Heinrich Rudolph Hertz (1857–1894), German scientist and experimenter, discovered the
nature of electromagnetic waves and published his findings in 1888. His name is associated with
the unit of frequency.
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), Croatian inventor, emigrated to the United States in 1884. He
invented polyphase electric power systems and the induction motor and pioneered modern AC
electric power systems. His name is used to represent the unit of magnetic flux density.
2. System of Units
Uganda uses the International System of Units (also called SI, from the French Système
International des Unités). SI units are commonly adhered to by virtually all engineering
professional societies. This section summarizes SI units and will serve as a useful reference in
your engineering program.
SI units are based on six fundamental quantities, listed in Table 1. All other units may be derived
in terms of the fundamental units of Table 1. Since, in practice, one often needs to describe
quantities that occur in large multiples or small fractions of a unit, standard prefixes are used to
denote powers of 10 of SI (and derived) units. These prefixes are listed in Table 2. Note that, in
general, engineering units are expressed in powers of 10 that are multiples of 3. For example,
10−4 s would be referred to as 100×10−6 s, or 100µs (or, less frequently, 0.1 ms).
Table 1: SI units
Quantity
Length
Mass
Time
Electric current
Temperature
Luminous intensity
Unit
Meter
Kilogram
Second
Ampere
Kelvin
Candela
Symbol
m
kg
s
A
K
cd
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Table 2: Standard prefixes
Prefix
Symbol
Power
a
10-18
atto
f
10-15
femto
p
10-12
pico
n
10-9
nano
µ
10-6
micro
m
10-3
milli
c
10-2
centi
d
10-1
deci
da
10
deka
k
103
kilo
M
106
mega
G
109
giga
T
1012
tera
3. The role of computing in engineering education
One of the very important changes to engineering education in the 1990s has been the ever more
common use of computers for analysis, design, data acquisition, and control. Some of the generic
computing tools that are likely to be in use in most engineering schools include Matlab,
MathCad, and AutoCad. While such computer aids simplify the solution of typical electrical
engineering problems, they also serve to stimulate students to experiment in developing their
own solution methods. Other computer aids such as SPICE1 are useful for circuit analysis and
simulation, and permit a more in-depth analysis of realistic electrical/electronic circuits and
devices.
In addition, the Internet is an increasingly common resource for knowledge and information.
This course, for example, will make use of a number of handouts available from MIT – a leading
engineering education institution based in the US. MIT has an OpenCourseWare2 program
through which they make their materials available online for use by the global community.
Typical Web references give you information on electrical engineering companies, products, and
methods. Some of the sites contain tutorial material that may supplement this course.
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2
SPICE Simulation Fundamentals, http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5413. Accessed 20/8/11.
MIT OpenCourseWare, http://ocw.mit.edu. Accessed 20/8/11.
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4. Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE)
The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE3) was established as an association of
Professional Engineers of Uganda in 1972, as a successor to the defunct East Africa Institution of
Engineers (EAIE), which had started in 1945. UIPE’s mission is to promote the general
advancement of the science and practice of engineering and its applications, and to facilitate the
exchange of information and ideas on those subjects amongst the members of the Institution.
The objectives of UIPE are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
To hold meetings of the Institution for reading and discussing communications bearing
upon engineering or the application thereof, or upon subjects relating thereto.
To co-operate with Universities, other educational institutions and public educational
authorities for the furtherance of education and training in engineering science and
practice.
To initiate research programmes and to co-operate with Government, private research
Institutions and private individuals in promoting research into engineering science and
technology.
To print, publish, sell, lend or distribute the proceedings or reports of the Institution or
any papers, communications, works or treaties on engineering or its application or
subjects connected therewith.
To do all other things, which the Council of the Institution may think proper, including
advising Government, Public Bodies and other organisations or individuals on matters
concerning engineering.
To do all other things incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or
any of them.
4.1 UIPE Membership
UIPE has seven classes of membership, namely:
• Fellows (Distinguished Corporate Members)
• Corporate Members
• Honorary Members
• Technologist Members
• Technician Members
• Graduate Members
• Student Members
The Engineers Registration Act No. 39 in 1969 that was later amended by the Engineers
Registration Act (Amendment) Decree of 1977 (Decree No. 10) prohibits anyone to practice
Engineering without a Practicing Certificate. The Practicing Certificate is issued only to
members of the Class of Corporate Members of UIPE and above.
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UIPE, http://www.uipe.co.ug
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To qualify to be in the class of Corporate Member, one is required to satisfy the UIPE Council
(which is UIPE’s governing body), that he or she has:
• passed or been exempted from the Corporate membership examinations of an engineering
institution, institute or society approved for the purpose by the Council
• obtained a degree or diploma from a University or School of Engineering approved by
the Council
• had at least two years adequate practical training as an engineer after graduation, and
additionally has had at least two years suitable experience in a position involving
responsibility as an engineer. At its discretion, the Council may accept any additional
period in a position of responsibility as an engineer in excess of two years in substitution
for two years practical training
• attended and passed a professional interview as prescribed by the Council.
Students are encouraged to join UIPE as student members. For more information, visit the
Makerere Engineering Society (MES) offices in the Old CEDAT Building.
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Review Questions
1. What are Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee famous for?
2. Who invented Facebook and Twitter?
3. What is MIT OpenCourseWare?
4. Describe the use and benefits of the following computer aids: Matlab, MathCad, SPICE.
5. Describe at least three activities of UIPE and of MES.
6. Describe four guiding principles of Uganda’s National Science, Technology and Innovation
Policy
7. Describe three contributions of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to Uganda’s
economy.
[Hint: Refer to Handout 6 for guidance on questions 6 and 7.]
Source:
This handout is largely extracted from Principles and Applications of Electrical Engineering,
Giorgio Rizzoni. Other sources from the web have been highlighted in the footnotes.
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