GEORG SIMON OHM 239 



also on account of his own desire for knowledge, studied 

 these sciences himself from books in his old days, along with 

 his own work and at the cost of much self-sacrifice. At 

 sixteen Ohm then began to study mathematics, physics and 

 philosophy at the University of his birthplace, but this does 

 not appear to have had a very strong attraction for him. 

 Also, money failed, so that he left the university after two 

 years and took a teaching position in a private Swiss school. 

 He later, however, obtained his degree in Erlangen and 

 became a member of the u-niversity. But he was soon again 

 compelled by want of means to leave the university. He 

 endeavoured to obtain employment in school-teaching, and 

 so became from 181 3 to 1827 a teacher of physics and 

 mathematics first at the Realschule in Bamberg, and then 

 at the Gymnasium in Cologne. During the ten years at 

 Cologne he produced the important researches we have 

 already discussed. Since he had little free time and very 

 poor apparatus at his disposal, the publication took place in 

 various small papers, which supplemented one another, 

 until a longer period of leave enabled him to produce a more 

 connected account of them.^ 



They then appeared, without, however, any account of the 

 experimental basis, in 1827 in an independent publication, 

 The Galvanic Circuit investigated Mathematically . 



Ohm was himself well aware of the importance and success 

 of his work, and he expected some recognition, in particular 

 desiring a better opportunity for work than could be found in 

 schools, where his duties gave him but little satisfaction. He 

 therefore resigned his position in the school, but had to wait 

 for five years in very straitened circumstances until, after 

 many petitions addressed to the King of Bavaria, he received 



1 See The Galvanic Circuit investigated Mathematically, translated by 

 W. Francis, with a preface by T. D. Lockwood, New York, 1891. 



Concerning Ohm's later work on optical and acoustical matters, see his 

 collected papers {Gesammelte Abhandlungen), edited by E. Lommel, 

 Leipzig, 1892. 



