This blog post explores how electrical engineering impacts daily life and will shape future society in an accessible and engaging way.
Electricity has become an essential element in modern society. Life without electricity is almost unimaginable. If electricity were to disappear, all transportation systems, including subways, would grind to a halt. The global economy would collapse, military security systems would fail, and nations would plunge into chaos. Additionally, we would face the inconvenience of not being able to use everyday items like smartphones, computers, or even elevators. Electrical engineering is the field that deals with this electricity, which plays such a central role in our lives. However, many people associate electrical engineering with roles like electricians or maintenance technicians at power companies, or computer repair technicians. Therefore, this article aims to explain what electrical engineering is in a way that readers can easily understand.
Electrical engineering can be broadly divided into two areas. First, it is the study and application of electrical phenomena. Second, it is the study and application of magnetic phenomena. At first glance, these two fields may seem entirely unrelated, but electricity and magnetism share a common origin: both are phenomena generated by electrons. Atoms, the smallest units composing matter, consist of a nucleus and electrons. The atomic nucleus contains positively charged protons and neutral neutrons, while electrons carry a negative charge. Electricity is the phenomenon that occurs when electrons move, while magnetism is the phenomenon that occurs due to stationary electrons. So, let’s take a closer look at what electrical engineering teaches about these electrical and magnetic phenomena.
Electrons can move for various reasons, and the flow of these electrons is called electric current. Furthermore, the energy transferred as electrons move is called electrical energy. Electrical engineering studies the transmission and distribution of electrical energy. The path through which current flows, along with the materials located along that path, is collectively called a circuit. Within a circuit, besides current, the concept of voltage exists. This acts like the height of a slide, causing current to naturally flow from higher to lower points. Additional energy is required to make current flow from a lower voltage point to a higher one.
The fundamental components of a circuit are resistors, inductors, and capacitors. Resistors impede the flow of current, inductors induce voltage from changes in current, and capacitors store electrical energy. These three elements are denoted as R, L, and C, respectively. Electrical engineering teaches how to design circuits tailored to specific purposes using these components. For example, simply installing a high-end smartphone circuit into a computer circuit does not guarantee the computer will function properly. Each electronic device requires a circuit designed for its specific purpose to operate correctly.
Another major phenomenon addressed in electrical engineering is magnetism. All matter contains electrons, and its electrical properties vary depending on the quantity of electrons. Matter with many electrons carries a negative charge, while matter with few electrons carries a positive charge. The forces generated by these charges are called magnetic phenomena. For instance, like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract; this is known as Coulomb’s force. The interaction between magnets and iron filings, which we commonly encounter in daily life, is precisely due to Coulomb’s force.
Although electrical and magnetic phenomena appear to exist independently, they actually interact closely. The primary field of study examining this is electromagnetism. Electromagnetism investigates the interaction between electrical and magnetic phenomena and finds applications in various fields. A prime example is the electromagnetic wave, a wave generated by the interaction of electric and magnetic phenomena. Light is one such electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic waves serve as a medium capable of carrying and transmitting diverse information. Electrical engineering studies how to embed and analyze information within this medium. For instance, the antenna on an internet router receives electrical signals, converts them into electromagnetic waves, and transmits Wi-Fi signals.
Beyond this, electrical engineering branches into fields such as power engineering, which focuses on efficiently converting and utilizing electrical energy; semiconductor engineering, which studies semiconductors; software-related disciplines dealing with programming; control engineering, which governs electrically operated devices; and communications engineering, which researches the principles and applications of communication. While these disciplines may appear distinct, they all share the common foundation of phenomena driven by electrons.
In conclusion, the diverse disciplines and technologies of electrical engineering have become indispensable technologies in our daily lives. The smartphone is an embodiment of electrical engineering, with every component—the touchscreen, operating system, LTE communication network, miniature camera, and battery—belonging to an application field of electrical engineering. Thus, electrical engineering is a crucial discipline driving the technological advancement of modern society.
