Georg Simon Ohm's groundbreaking discovery in 1827 fundamentally transformed our understanding of electrical phenomena and laid the foundation for modern electrical engineering. Working with primitive equipment in his laboratory at the Jesuit Gymnasium of Cologne, Ohm meticulously measured the relationship between electrical pressure (voltage), flow (current), and opposition (resistance). His systematic approach, using homemade galvanometers and carefully prepared wire samples, revealed the elegant mathematical relationship that now bears his name: V = I × R.
Initially met with skepticism from the scientific community, Ohm's work was eventually recognized as revolutionary when it enabled the practical design of electrical systems. The law's simplicity belies its profound impact - it provided engineers with the first reliable method to predict and control electrical behavior, making possible everything from telegraph systems in the 19th century to the sophisticated electronic devices we rely on today. Ohm's mathematical formulation transformed electricity from a mysterious force into a quantifiable, controllable phenomenon.