Michael Faraday
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Michael Faraday, FRS (22 September 1791 - 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of the time) who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry.
Faraday studied the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a DC electric current. While conducting these studies, Faraday established the basis for the electromagnetic field concept in physics, subsequently enlarged upon by James Clerk Maxwell. He similarly discovered electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and laws of electrolysis. He established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices formed the foundation of electric motor technology, and it was largely due to his efforts that electricity became viable for use in technology. (wikipedia)
Experimental physicist, chemist and inventor. Electromagnetic induction. Diamagnetism. Electrolysis. Benzene. The electric generator.
From Bookbinding to Changing the World: The Incredible Story of Michael Faraday Michael Faraday wasn’t born into privilege. He didn’t have access to elite schools or scientific mentors. In fact, he came from a poor family in 18th-century London and had very little formal education. At just 14 years old, he was apprenticed to a local bookbinder—a job meant to help support his family, not change the world. But Faraday had something rare: unstoppable curiosity. While binding books, he began reading them—especially those about science. Page by page, he taught himself the basics of chemistry and physics. He wasn't in a lab or a university—he was in the back of a dusty bookshop, turning knowledge into passion. That spark led him to attend public lectures by famed chemist Humphry Davy, where Faraday took detailed notes and later sent them to Davy himself. Impressed, Davy gave him a job as a lab assistant—launching Faraday into a life of groundbreaking scientific discovery. Faraday went on to make monumental contributions to electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His work laid the foundation for electric motors, transformers, and generators—the very technologies that power our modern world. And he did it all without a university degree. Faraday’s life is proof that you don’t need privilege to pursue knowledge, and you don’t need a fancy degree to change history. What you need is curiosity, persistence, and the courage to chase wonder wherever you find it—even in the pages of a book.
Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction explains how motion and magnetism can create electricity. He found that when a magnetic field changes it produces an electromotive force in a nearby conductor. This discovery showed that electricity and magnetism are linked in a deep way. The principle says that the induced force depends on how fast the magnetic flux changes. When the flux changes quickly the induced force becomes stronger. When it changes slowly the induced force becomes weaker. This simple relation helps us understand how many electrical devices work. The formula uses the change in magnetic flux over time. It also includes the number of turns in the coil. More turns create a stronger induced force. The negative sign in the equation shows that the induced force acts in a way that opposes the change that produced it. This follows a rule known as Lenz law. Faraday's idea became the base of generators. When a coil moves in a magnetic field the changing flux creates electricity. Transformers also use the same rule as alternating current changes the magnetic field and produces voltage in another coil. Many tools in modern life depend on this effect. His discovery showed that a moving or changing magnetic field can create useful electric power. It linked two parts of physics that once seemed separate. Faraday's work still supports the world of energy today from power plants to household devices and remains one of the most important ideas in science.
Keely
The Neutralization of Magnets
"Thus, either present elements are the true elements, or else there is the probability before us of obtaining some more high and general power of nature, even than electricity, and which at the same time might reveal to us an entirely new grade of matter, now hidden from our view and almost from our suspicion.
See Also
Electricity
Electromotive Series
Faraday Unipolar Generator
Generator
Magnetism