Promoting History of Electrical Engineering teaching in cross-border university co-operation

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1 Promoting teaching in cross-border university co-operation Alexander G. Mikerov, Juha J. Pyrhönen * and Johanna J. Vauterin * Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI)/Control Department, Saint Petersburg, Russia * Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Department of Electrical Engineering, Lappeenranta, Finland Abstract The paper provides a short overview of the main principles of teaching the history of electrical engineering at LETI and at LUT. At both universities the teaching of the history of electrical engineering has been actively promoted. Recently, the cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of lecturing "History of electrical engineering" has been developed. The history of electrical engineering from the ancient times to the 0 th century is treated. The respective courses address e.g. the emergence of electrical engineering as a field of science, some electrical machine applications, and the development of radio. The main goals of the courses are to motivate the students in their basic studies by introducing the difficulties faced by earlier researchers in their efforts to develop the electro-magnetic theory, to form the professional profile of the future electrical engineers and to improve their technical English skills. Some national aspects in the history are emphasized. E.g. the influence and role of professor Popov in Russia and Gottfrid Strömberg in Finland are discussed. The example slides of the course presentation illustrate the contents of the course. The first experiences on the introduction of the Russian postgraduate course version at Lappeenranta University of Technology are discussed. I. INTRODUCTION In 996, the course History of Science and Technology was introduced at Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI) for undergraduate students of different departments of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The course was prefaced by a broad discussion by the professors and the University administration about the necessity of such a course in a technical university. As a result, the common opinion was that it is impossible to be a good engineer and researcher without knowledge about the origin and development of the fundamental ideas and inventions in the field. For similar purposes and based on similar viewpoints, at the same time the department of electrical engineering of Lappeenranta University of technology established its own course of the history of electrical engineering. LUT introduced the course in the form of eight lectures on the history of electrical engineering as an extensive introduction to the course on electro magnetism. This overview of the history and development of the electro magnetic main theorems is compulsory only for students studying on the electrical engineering program. The history part of the course has been very much appreciated by the students. In particular, they have been encouraged in their studies by the observation that renowned scientists at the dawn of modern electrical engineering had big difficulties in understanding the basic phenomena just like today s students. Especially the challenges that were faced in the attempt to show the scientific connection between magnetism and electricity and discover the induction law are much inspiring to modern students. At LETI the teaching contents are designed to answer the needs of the Faculty s or Department s field of engineering and its special characteristics. Professor Mikerov s course History of Science and Technology was first given at the Department of Electromechatronics and comprised a total of lecture hours. It included four parts: History of the science of electrical engineering from the ancient ages to the 7 th century History of electrical engineering from the 8 th to the 0 th century Development of electrical motors and generators History of Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University and the Department of Electromechatronics. After the merging of the Department with the Department of Robotics, the course was shifted to the Department of Automatic Control Systems and step-by-step, it was supplemented by short history overviews of electronics, history of computers, and history of control systems. In 00, Russia joined the Bologna Declaration, yet some important problems remain to be solved to integrate the Russian higher education into the international academic community []. From the present Russian point of view, the major problem may be the poor English language skills of Russian engineers, students, and even professors. In the former Soviet Union, English language was not compulsory in secondary schools and not even at technical universities. Besides, English was not needed in practical engineering work or in everyday life. The reason for this was, naturally, that Soviet engineers lived behind the iron curtain, where: international contacts were not encouraged, industrial foreign trade with western countries was insignificantly small, and all literature was published in Russian (even all IEEE publications were translated). Hence, for the Soviet industry and academia, English language skills were unnecessary. In modern Russia, a great progress in free global communications is observed; however, until now, English language has not been compulsory neither at universities nor in secondary schools. This is a great contrast to the situation in Finland, Central and Eastern Europe, where at present more than three out of four secondary school pupils study English []. The adverse situation described above prevails not only in the former Soviet Union but also in many other developing countries where the native tongue is other than English.

2 To improve the technical English skills in such countries, the IEEE Region 8 launched the Technical English Program, which provides free training in Basic Electrical Engineering in English for students and engineers []. Local IEEE volunteers arrange such training, which should be concluded by an IEEE distinguished lecturer tutorial. Last autumn, the first pilot project of this Technical English Program was successfully accomplished with Schaum s Outlines textbooks at St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University. The first eleven students graduated after presentations held at a student technical conference. Another effective method to improve English language skills would be to introduce some technical courses in English into the university curriculum. A good example of such a practice is demonstrated in the neighboring Finnish universities. For example at Lappeenranta University of Technology, some Master s degree programs include compulsory English courses, all doctoral dissertations are written in English, and foreign opponents at the public examinations of doctoral dissertations are highly encouraged. Such a situation is possible in Finland thanks to a high level of English language, which is compulsory in all secondary schools. In Russian universities, for the present, English courses of this kind should be elective, because until now, approximately 0% of the university entrants have had French, German or Spain as their only foreign language. Such are the backgrounds for the establishment of the new course in English. The course should be a graduate course, since English is more important at the master level than at the bachelor level. Besides, it gives the students an opportunity to improve their basic English skills during their master s thesis work II. COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT The main goals of the course are: To show how the laws and theories of electricity and magnetism have been created and developed from the very first observations on the magnetic and amber effect to the discovery of electron and electromagnetic field To cover the biographies of major genius scientists (B. Franklin, A. Volta, A.M. Ampere, M. Faraday, J.C. Maxwell), inventors and engineers (M. Jakobi, V. Siemens, T. Edison, N. Tesla) in the field of electrical engineering To discuss the difficulties in discovering the Ampere's and, especially the Faraday's laws. Also the big debate of the existence of the Maxwell's theory of waves is discussed in detail. The final experiences of Hertz are thoroughly studied and understood. To demonstrate the foundation and development of electrical industry and the contributions of V. Siemens, T. Edison, G. Westinghouse, M. Dolivo- Dobrovolski to this process To discuss the development of some important electrical engineering applications and the invention of radio. To promote cross-border teaching cooperation and exchange of teaching experience as well as to broaden and globalize different viewpoints concerning lecturing the history of electrical engineering The table of contents of the course is the following: Part I. History of electrical engineering as a science. Old, Middle Ages and Renaissance. Evolution of the knowledge of electromagnetic phenomena before the 8 th century. Foundations of the science of electrical engineering in the 8 th century. Science of electrical engineering in the 9 th century Part II. History of electrical engineering applications. Evolution of electrical machines First electrical motors First electrical generators Foundation of the electrical engineering industry Introduction of alternating currents. Invention of radio Well-known facts on the chronology of wireless communications The contributions of Alexander Popov and Guglielmo Marconi in radio communication. Electrical engineering in the 0 th century. The course includes hours of lectures and some homework, and yields 5 ECTS credits. It was found that the students' interest and knowledge increase considerably if any local technical museum or excursion relevant to the subject is included in the schedule. At Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, even two museums can be visited: the University Museum and Alexander Popov Museum. III. COURSE ILLUSTRATION AND EVALUATION Course lectures are accompanied with a Power Point presentation. Some examples of the slides of Part I are shown in Fig. and examples of Part II in Fig.. Here, some different illustration methods are employed. Figures.. and.9.0 demonstrate the first method, in which the history of the science of electrical engineering is presented through the contributions of such famous scientists as B. Franklin, A. Volta, A.M. Ampere, T. Edison, and N. Tesla. Another illustration method is applied in Figures.,.5 and., which focus on well-known electrical experiments or devices. Figures.6 and. give an overview of some technical events related to famous discoveries or inventions. At the end of the lectures, a video film The Age of Popov is shown as an overview and summary of Part II. The students knowledge is controlled by two one-hour written examinations (concerning Parts I and II) with 5 different questions for every student. Five complete answers are required for passing the test, while or 5 complete answers are graded as excellent. IV. FIRST COURSE PROBATION EXPERIENCE The LETI course by Professor Mikerov was given as a supplementary post graduate course during the autumn term of 006 at Lappeenranta University of Technology

3 (Finland) as an elective course for the post graduate students of the Department of Electrical Engineering. The course materials were available in advance as handouts at the university website. Approximately 50 students attended the lectures, and 6 of them participated in the exams; only three of them did not pass the course. The students, of course had the benefit that they had already discussed some of the history topics in their earlier studies. Another very useful result was the interesting discussion amongst teachers and professors about the history of Electrical Engineering in Russia and Finland. Some small differences in the historical traditions of the two countries were mentioned. It is observed that the historical inventor names such as Ampere or Faraday were not used in Russia during Soviet time but now the historical terms for induction law and "right hand rule" have been introduced also in Russia. Also some specific aspects related to the development of Finnish electrical engineering were discussed during the course. The Finnish language has its own word for electricity and did not adopt the international term which has its roots in the Greek word "elektron". The etymological explanation for the Finnish word for electricity "sähkö" is rather interesting. The word was as early as in 85 introduced for the first time by Finnish medical doctor Samuel Roos in his book "Mintähden ja sentähden" (Why and Because). He explained that the word comes from the sizzling noise of an electric arc. It was found very useful to include in the course stories about prominent Russian and Finnish scientists and engineers in Electrical Engineering. The Russian tradition is to emphasize the role of Popov as the great practical inventor of the coherer radio receiver. Popov has also personal connections to Finland since his devices were brought for the first time into use during the rescue of the Ermac war ship along the Finnish coast. With the help of Popov's radio equipment the radio operators operating with from the city of Kotka to the war ship that ran aground were able to rescue several fishermen. The History of Finnish Electrical Engineering is not complete without the story about the first real Finnish electrical engineer Gottfrid Strömberg (86-98, Fig. ) The young Gottfrid was interested in electrical engineering already as a school boy and built Finland's first DC-machine in 880. He graduated from the polytechnic institute in Helsinki in 885. Later, he studied electrical engineering in Berlin at the Royal Technical University and in the Technical University of Hannover. In 887 he became the first Finnish teacher in electrical engineering and Finland s first professors in electrical engineering have been his students. Gottfrid Strömberg became an independent entrepreneur in 889. The DC-machines designed by him were top products of the time and he won several prizes in international exhibitions. Some views of his factory in Pitäjänmäki, Finland, are shown in Fig. and 5. A new foundry was finished in 96 and a new machine hall in 99. The train cars are carrying large rotating machine frames. Fig, b) proves that the safety regulations in the beginning of the 0 th century were not taken very strictly at the Strömberg works.. Strömberg started exporting his products in 89 by delivering dynamos for the Admiralty and foreign ministry buildings in Russia. He worked as the CEO of the company until 99 and as a member of the administrative board until his death in 98. His company known later as Strömberg Oy was finally bought by ASEA and merged into ABB. V. CONCLUSION ) The contents of the Course History of Electrical Engineering are the same for the students of all specializations in the field of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. ) The course is a compromise between humanities and technical science, and provides thus a welcome supplementation to the engineering studies. ) The course is designed to promote understanding of the global importance of ancient electrical engineering innovations as well as the deep influence of engineering history on European modern teaching of electrical engineering. ) Students are acquainted with the origin and development of various technical objects and devices applied in everyday life and business environments. 5) The biographies of famous scientists and engineers show the students that they can be proud of their future profession; these biographies also testify that electrical engineering is a very exciting field of science but also a profitable business. 6) The students are encouraged in their attempts to better understand the complexity of the theories of electrical engineering when they see how difficult and complicated the way has been for history s greatest scientists to produce the electro-magnetic theory in its modern version as we know it today. 7) The course provides students with a good possibility to improve their technical English by learning specific electrical engineering terminology. 8) The first introduction of the course in a Finnish university shows the students interest in the subject, their good attendance and high evaluation results. It is useful to supplement the course by a short overview of Finnish Electrical Engineering development including the story about the first real Finnish electrical engineer Gottfrid Strömberg. REFERENCES [] S.O. Shaposhnikov, On the problems of integration of the Russian higher education in the international academic community, Proc. 00 of St. Petersburg IEEE chapters, St. Petersburg: SPb. ETU LETI Publishing House, 00, pp. 6 7 [] After Babel, a new common tongue, The Economist, pp., August 7, 00. [] A. Mikerov, Technical English project prepares for September launch, Region 8 News, vol. 9, #, p.7, June 006. [] The history of Strömberg Oy,

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (706-790) American writer, entrepreneur, scientist, politician Main results: Electrical fluid (too many: + [glass]; lack:

Lightning-rod (78 Philadelphia catastrophic lightning) Pennsylvania University founder USA envoy in England USA Constitution coauthor

VOLTA (75-87) Professor in physics of the Pavia University (Italy) French Senator, awarded the Legion d honneur order 800 Volta s cell New

EXPERIMENTS Sept., 80: French Academy meeting (D.Arago, J.Biot, P.Laplace, F.Savart,A.Ampere), Arago s demonstration Sept.

) - Bli rule: mechanical force f = Bli, where: B induction, l conductor active length, i - current abcd rotating coil x, y mercury contacts Y

. Conductors are attracting N S Ampere s experiments Faraday s experiments FARADAY S LAW (8) Relations between electricity and magnetism

acoil w - number of turns Φ - magnetic flux perpendicular to the coil plane Hertz s transmitter EXPERIMENTAL PROOF OF THE MAXWELL S THEORY I

$spark in the transmitter up to m distance Wave effects: Linear propagation, reflection, refraction (in 000 kg asphalt prism), polarization,$ interference Public recognition: Frequency: [Hz] in SI First Popov s radiogram Henrich Hertz Rumkorf s coil Doublet - Resonator 5 PREHISTORY

interference Public recognition: Frequency: [Hz] in SI First Popov s radiogram Henrich Hertz Rumkorf s coil Doublet - Resonator 5 PREHISTORY

4 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ( ) American writer, entrepreneur, scientist, politician Main results: Electrical fluid (too many: + [glass]; lack: [amber]) New terminology: battery, capacitor, charge discharge, winding Lightning and thunder are atmospheric electrical discharge Lightning-rod (78 Philadelphia catastrophic lightning) Pennsylvania University founder USA envoy in England USA Constitution coauthor ALESSANDRO G. VOLTA (75-87) Professor in physics of the Pavia University (Italy) French Senator, awarded the Legion d honneur order 800 Volta s cell New terminology: Electrical circuit Current - i Electromotive force - e Potential difference - u zinc paper with an alkali silver (copper) AMPER S EXPERIMENTS Sept., 80: French Academy meeting (D.Arago, J.Biot, P.Laplace, F.Savart,A.Ampere), Arago s demonstration Sept. 5: Ampere s first experiment (Fig. ) 85: Ampere s Law: - experimental set up (Fig. ) - Bli rule: mechanical force f = Bli, where: B induction, l conductor active length, i - current abcd rotating coil x, y mercury contacts Y - supports Fig.. Coil axis shows the North moving conductor fixed conductor Fig.. Conductors are attracting N S Ampere s experiments Faraday s experiments FARADAY S LAW (8) Relations between electricity and magnetism Ampere s experiments Michael Faraday (experiments 80 8) 8: Faraday s Law (in the Maxwell s interpretation): dφ e = w, where dt e - e.m.f in acoil w - number of turns Φ - magnetic flux perpendicular to the coil plane Hertz s transmitter EXPERIMENTAL PROOF OF THE MAXWELL S THEORY I Henrich Hertz (857-89) German physicist, H.Helmholtz s apprentice, Professor of the Carlsrue University 888: Hertz s experiments (λ = 0 cm): Spark in the resonator was observed under a spark in the transmitter up to m distance Wave effects: Linear propagation, reflection, refraction (in 000 kg asphalt prism), polarization, interference Public recognition: Frequency: [Hz] in SI First Popov s radiogram Henrich Hertz Rumkorf s coil Doublet - Resonator 5 PREHISTORY OF THE ELECTRON DISCOVERY I What an electric current is? - Flow of small charged particles (G.Fechner, W.Weber) - Stream of an energy (H.Helmholtz, H.Hertz, W.Roentgen) Facts known at the end of 9 century: Electrolysis (Faraday s Laws) + bath with an alkali anode, - cathode flow of anode metal particles - Electrical discharge in gases (Faraday) Tube with a gas A anode, K- cathode IV gas lighting Edison s effect (88) - + incandescent lamp glower, additional electrode (+) - galvanometer 6 Fig. : Examples of slides presented in part I of the course

- Fig. DEMONSTRATION OF ELECTROMECHANICAL MOTION 8: M.Faraday (England) a wire rotation (Fig.

Barlow (8), W.Ritchie (8) Italy: S. dal Negro (8 ), J.Botto (8) Fig.

contacts) o, p, q, r contact wires Step.

commutator, battery (+): Compact construction with a radial excitation (- ): PM were not so powerful as electromagnets 86: W.

permanent magnets (PM) - field, commutator.

lifting 8 Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. TOMAS ALVA EDISON Electrical lighting introduction (in Menlo Park - Fig.

In 879 Edison patented the bulb with carbonized bamboo twig (Fig. ).

) Introduce central electrical station and aerial and cable utility. Fig.: First central station in Pearl Street, New York.

Contribution in AC systems May 888, 7 USA patents: Brushless motors and multiphase AC systems. Fig.

Switch positions: ON synchronous motor, OFF induction motor.

delta) with and without a neutral, - phase transformer, and -wires transmission lines Fig.

5 - Fig. DEMONSTRATION OF ELECTROMECHANICAL MOTION 8: M.Faraday (England) a wire rotation (Fig.): silver bowl, mercury, permanent magnet, rotating wire 8: J. Henry (USA) a pendulous beam (Fig. ) Other devices: England: P.Barlow (8), W.Ritchie (8) Italy: S. dal Negro (8 ), J.Botto (8) Fig. N N S S + a, b pendulous electromagnet c, d permanent magnets g, f batteries l, m, s, t - mercury cups (mobile contacts) o, p, q, r contact wires Step. c N pole, d S pole: right swing Step : c S pole, d N pole: left swing 8 swings per minute 7 DC MOTORS WITH PERMANENT MAGNETS 87: T.Davenport, blacksmith from Albany (USA) Classic DC motor: stator with permanent magnets (PM) - field, rotor winding (armature), commutator, battery (+): Compact construction with a radial excitation (- ): PM were not so powerful as electromagnets 86: W. Sturgeon (England) Inverted DC motor (Brushless DC motor prototype): stator with electromagnets (armature), - rotor with permanent magnets (PM) - field, commutator. (+): Windingless rotor (- ): Complicated commutator, PM were not so powerful as electromagnets Application for sawing, water lifting 8 Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. TOMAS ALVA EDISON Electrical lighting introduction (in Menlo Park - Fig. ): After 6000 experiments he improved known incandescent lamps, and extend its life time from 0.5 h. (A. Lodigin) till 800 h. In 879 Edison patented the bulb with carbonized bamboo twig (Fig. ). Invented all electrical fittings (lamp socket Edison s socket, inside insulators, switches, electricity supply meters, etc.) Introduce central electrical station and aerial and cable utility. Fig.: First central station in Pearl Street, New York. Invented powerful dynamos (Fig. : Jumbo 00 kw) Commercial manufacturing of bulbs ( cents per a bulb) 9 NIKOLA TESLA. Contribution in AC systems May 888, 7 USA patents: Brushless motors and multiphase AC systems. Fig. : -phase motors: alternator, AC motor (Fig. ), slip-rings, -phase rotor winding (slip-rings aren t shown). Switch positions: ON synchronous motor, OFF induction motor. May 888, presentation at the AIEE (IEEE) meeting Other patents: Induction motor with windless rotor, phase alternator (star and delta) with and without a neutral, - phase transformer, and -wires transmission lines Fig. Fig. 0 FIRST RADIO APPLICATIONS First (895 - left) and second (896) Popov s apparatuses. First radiogram : Henrich Hertz Poldhu transmitter (5 kw) and the Newfoundland receiver. First radiogram : (SOS) Saving of a warship Ermak and 7 Finnish fishermen near Gogland-Kotka (900) Transmission of Transatlantic radio signals (December 90) from Poldhu (England) to Newfoundland (Canada) Existence of radio waves Transmitter Radio communication Detector of radio waves Automatic radio receiver Radio system Radio Industry PRIORITY IN THE RADIO J.Maxwell (theory) H.Hertz (experiment) H.Hertz N.Tesla (magnetic detector) H.Hertz (ring coil) E.Branly (coherer) O.Lodge (advanced coherer) A.Popov G.Marconi Fig. : Examples of slides presented in part II of the course

6 Fig.. Gottfrid Strömberg the first real Finnish electrical engineer a) b) Fig.. Factory architecture from the beginning of the 0th century in Pitäjänmäki Finland. Fig. 5. Interior of the machine hall and its workers in 90.

The Forefathers of Radio. By Bob Buus, W2OD

The Forefathers of Radio. By Bob Buus, W2OD The Forefathers of Radio By Bob Buus, W2OD Benjamin Franklin Jan. 17, 1706 April 17, 1790 (84) Born in Boston Apprentice Printer 1723 to Philadelphia 1723-26 in London Printing Business Retired in 1747