Ampere was a French physicist, natural philosopher, and mathematician who is best known for his important contributions to the study of electrodynamics. He invented a critical component of the modern galvanometer, and was the first to demonstrate that a magnetic field is generated when two parallel wires are charged with electricity. He is generally credited as one of the first to discover electromagnetism.

Ampere’s most significant scholarly paper on the subject of electricity and magnetism, titled Memoir on the Mathematical Theory of Electrodynamic Phenomena, was published in 1826. The theoretical foundation presented in this publication served as the basis for other ideas of the 19th century regarding electricity and magnetism.  It helped to inspire research and discoveries by scientists including Faraday, Weber, Thomson, and Maxwell.

The amp is named in his honor.