Dictionary of Electrical Engineering

Commonly used terms in the Electrical industry.

Coulomb, Charles (1763-1806)
Born: Angouleme, France
Coulomb is best known for his study of electric charge and magnetism resulting in Coulomb's Law, as well as his studies in friction. Coulomb also invented the torsion balance in 1777. He used this device in many experiments. Coulomb began his career in the military, but resigned when the French Revolution began. His experience as a military engineer involved him in a wide variety of different projects. It also gave him time to continue his own experimental work.
Coulomb's law states that the force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two charges. Coulomb is honored by having his name used as the unit of electric charge, the coulomb.