Michael Faraday
and
His Discoveries
Faraday the book binder and an autodidact
Michael Faraday is recognized as one of the most influential scientists of the nineteenth century. Notably, despite minimal formal education and commencing his career as a bookbinder at age thirteen, he independently acquired the knowledge required for scientific research and achieved significant advancements in the field.
This article will examine Faraday’s principal discoveries and the qualities that distinguished his contributions. Keep reading to learn more.
Faraday's Discoveries
Firstly, he was the pioneering scientist who demonstrated the principles of both electric motors and dynamos. Additionally, he introduced major concepts such as magnetic induction and magnetic fields into the field of physics. He also contributed notable discoveries in electrochemistry.
Furthermore, his collaboration with James Maxwell led to the unification of electricity, magnetism, and light, ultimately culminating in the prediction of electromagnetic waves.
Bookbinder to Scientist
Faraday’s life took a remarkable turn thanks to the Royal Institution and Sir Humphry Davy, despite his lack of formal education. Davy, a renowned scientist and director at the Royal Institution, was known for inventing the miners’ safety lamp and discovering elements such as sodium and potassium. Inspired by one of Davy’s captivating lectures, Faraday was motivated to pursue a job at the Royal Institution and requested a position. Davy offered him the only available job: bottle cleaner.
This humble beginning marked the start of Faraday’s scientific career at the Royal Institution. Davy soon noticed Faraday’s keen understanding and thorough record-keeping, which led them to collaborate closely. Davy not only guided Faraday but also gave him opportunities to conduct experiments and publish his own research.
Over time, Faraday advanced to become the director of the Royal Institution himself.
Let’s begin by exploring how he uncovered the principle behind the electric motor.
Oersted's Discovery
In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted, a physics professor at the University of Copenhagen, discovered that placing a magnetic compass near a wire carrying an electric current caused the compass needle to quickly turn and align at a right angle to the wire. This showed that a current-carrying wire generates a magnetic effect, and the revelation greatly surprised the scientific community.
Oersted’s finding led Faraday and other scientists to consider a connection between electricity and magnetism, though they were initially unsure of its nature. While scientists like Ampere and Coulomb explained Oersted’s discovery through mathematics, Faraday believed that the current in the wire produced a circular magnetic force in the surrounding space, which, in turn, made the compass needle move.
The First Electric Motor
While experimenting on Oersted’s accidental discovery, Faraday successfully demonstrated the concept of electric motor. He built a simple apparatus using a container, a magnet, mercury, and a battery. When he turned the switch on, ah, the hanging wire started moving in rapid circles around the magnet.
The first electric motor was born in 1821. However, it would take another decade for Faraday to demonstrate the principle behind the dynamo.
Magnetic Induction &
Dynamo
By 1831, everyone knew how to make magnetism from electricity. The obvious question was, should it not be possible to produce electricity from magnetism? But the answer eluded everyone. Finally, one of the experiments with a huge iron ring with a battery connected to a primary circuit just produced a twitch in the secondary circuit when the primary circuit was switched on or off. But there was no continuous current.
Faraday then tried with a coil and a permanent magnet. As shown in the picture on the left, when the bar magnet was plunged into the coil, he noticed current in one direction, and when the magnet was pulled out, current was flowing in the opposite direction.
And that was the moment of the discovery of magnetic induction and the birth of dynamo.
Modern Power Generation
Modern dynamos and generators, however advanced they could be, operate on the same magnetic induction principle that Faraday discovered in 1831.
As illustrated in the accompanying diagram, permanent magnets surround a coil. As the coil rotates by means of thermal, hydro, or nuclear power, the relative motion causes magnetic induction in the coil and results in continuous supple of electricity.
Impact of his discoveries
When Faraday demonstrated the principles of the electric motor in 1821 and the dynamo in 1831, the significance of these discoveries was not immediately apparent to contemporaries, nor was Faraday himself certain of their practical applications.
Today, the widespread utilization and necessity of these innovations are well understood. Modern conveniences and technological systems, including electricity, wireless communication, satellite technology, radar, radio, television, and computers, are fundamentally grounded in Faraday’s pioneering work and insights.
Collaboration with Maxwell
Faraday collaborated with James Maxwell, who was a Cambridge educated mathematical physicist, to unravel some of the mysteries of physics, and they unified three different fields of physics – electricity, magnetism and light. Faraday’s idea of electromagnetic field and magnetic induction were later packaged by Maxwell in the form of sophisticated mathematical equations.
Their groundbreaking work led to many other discoveries including the special theory of relativity by Albert Einstein.
Faraday's contributions
Following is a summary of Faraday's major contributions to Science. Certainly, this is NOT a complete list.
Laws of magnetic induction
Field theory
Principle of electric motor
Principle of dynamo
Principle of Transformer
Polarization of light in magnetic field
Laws of electrolysis
Faraday’s cage
Words coined by Faraday:
Lines of force
Magnetic induction
Magnetic Field
Electrolysis
Electrolyte
Anode
Cathode
Ion
Anion
Cation
Ferro magnetic
Para magnetic
Diamagnetic
It is remarkable that someone self-taught and without formal mathematical training could make such significant contributions to science. Faraday’s success stemmed from his curiosity and his relentless drive to uncover the laws of nature.
No surprise, Faraday was one of the heroes of Albert Einstein.
In Faraday’s honor, the unit of capacitance, farad, was named after him.