<P> Three discoveries challenged this foundation of magnetism , though . First , in 1819 , Hans Christian Ørsted discovered that an electric current generates a magnetic field encircling it . Then in 1820 , André - Marie Ampère showed that parallel wires with currents attract one another if the currents are in the same direction and repel if they are in opposite directions . Finally , Jean - Baptiste Biot and Félix Savart discovered the Biot -- Savart law in 1820 , which correctly predicts the magnetic field around any current - carrying wire . </P>
<P> Three discoveries challenged this foundation of magnetism , though . First , in 1819 , Hans Christian Ørsted discovered that an electric current generates a magnetic field encircling it . Then in 1820 , André - Marie Ampère showed that parallel wires with currents attract one another if the currents are in the same direction and repel if they are in opposite directions . Finally , Jean - Baptiste Biot and Félix Savart discovered the Biot -- Savart law in 1820 , which correctly predicts the magnetic field around any current - carrying wire . </P>
who discovered that moving electricity creates a magnetic field
who discovered that moving electricity creates a magnetic field
Hans Christian Ørsted
Hans Christian Ørsted