Ampère, creator of words

André-Marie Ampère played a decisive role in the conceptualisation of the notions of “electric current” and “electric voltage”. He also introduced the term “solenoid” when he collaborated with Arago on the design of this fundamental component of electrical circuits.

It is perhaps surprising to learn that Ampère also coined other scientific terms such as “kinematics” and “cybernetics”. These terms were introduced in his “Essai sur la philosophie des sciences”, a treatise in which he proposed a classification of all sciences. The term “cybernetics”, originally proposed by Ampère, referred to the art of governing, a meaning that has been eclipsed over time.

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