THE HISTORY OF OHM'S LA^Y 



599 



THE HISTORY OF OHM'S LAW 



By Professor JOHN C. SHEDD, olivet college and MAYO D. HERSHET, u. s. 



BUREAU OF STANDARDS 



Introduction 



IN the historical development of any branch of science three steps may 

 generally be traced. First, there is the growth, frequently in dis- 

 connected masses, of a body of data. A few of the more readily grasped 



facts may find quantitative expression. These formulae, whether ex- 

 pressed in words or in mathematical terms, prepare the way for the 

 second stage, in which investigation is directed toward the discovery of 

 connecting links between otherwise isolated observations. This induc- 

 tive process of framing and testing hypotheses ends with that compre- 

 hensive generalization in concise mathematical form which constitutes 

 a "fundamental" law. The third and final stage comprises the deduc- 



