1 Teaching of Electric Circuits Theories in Introductory Courses: How

Abstract. At the beginnings of electrical sciences the terminology used by the scientists was varied and vague. There was no system of units for measuring the various aspects of electricity, described by terms as tension, voltaic excitation, electric virtue, etc. Using an historical approach, this paper concentrates on the development of the science of electricity and its key applications starting from the Voltaic cell in 1800 up to the beginning of electric power industry in late 1800s. It discusses the complex interplay between the theoretical and the tangible aspects of electricity, and the role of the practical applications in formulation of the terminology and definition of units for measurements of electricity. In order to explain observable effects of electricity such as the occurrences of heat, light, or motion of objects, theories of electricity use terms such as potential, tension, voltage, electromotive force. Do these terms have a concrete, tangible meaning? What about electric current or a flow of electrons? Do they mean the same thing? Is there something that is going all the way through the circuit from one pole of a battery to the other? When studying mechanics, students can directly see the displacement, velocity, and acceleration of a moving object. They have a workable concept of force from their everyday life. In comparison, the concepts of th