On Gustav Robert Kirchhoff’s contributions to electrodynamics

Purpose This work is dedicated to the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of German physicist Gustav Robert Kirchhoff. The purpose ot the article is to point out that Kirchhoff’s research includes an impressive number of fundamental publications that laid the foundation for new disciplines in physics and even electrical and mechanical engineering. Design/methodology/approach While many biographies mainly discuss Kirchhoff’s research in physics, this paper focuses on Kirchhoff’s research in electrodynamics and its significance for electrical engineering, particularly the theory of electrical circuits. Findings Kirchhoff’s importance is evident in his fundamental contributions to physics, where, with his distinctive research style, he was among the founders of theoretical physics. However, it is shown that Kirchhoff’s contributions to the mathematical and physical understanding of electrical circuits are often not presented in full detail, which motivated us to fill this gap in this paper. Originality/value Based on this historical analysis of Kirchhoff’s contributions to electromagnetic theory, it becomes clear that modern circuit theory as a physical model of concentrated electromagnetic phenomena without radiation is essentially based on Kirchhoff’s research.