Biography Category
Name :
Michael Faraday
Date :
Views :
915
Category :
Birth Date :
22/09/1791
Birth Place :
London, England
Death Date :
August 25, 1867
Not Available
Family legend states that the Faradays originally fled to England from Ireland, in the year 1567, when Queen Elizabeth put down the rebellion of the O'Neill there. The name was Gaelic with the forefathers being Irish farmers. The Bolton-le-Sands (Lancashire) register reveals of on William Faraday wedding Elizabeth Gardner on August 11, 1683. Richard, their son along with the family moved to Carnforth from Bolton-le-Sands, which was near the sea on the west coast. This Richard's one son out of ten other children, was Robert (1724 - 86 ) who was Michael Faraday's grandfather.[br /]
[br /]
During his period there was a reformation being carried out on the religious front with the evangelical zeal and dissent reaching its highest pitch in the north of England. Robert Faraday took to the new religion and became a Sandemanian of which Michael Faraday later called 'a small and despised set of Christians known, if known at all, as Sandemanians.' Robert it is said , took to preaching the simple and popular tenets of the sect that began to have mass appeal among the people. They as a sect believed and questioned on the very tenets of Christianity, like the New Testament, the relationship between the Church and the State etc.[br /]
[br /]
To this preacher of the Sandemanian sect and his wife was born seven children of which the eldest was Richard and a third called James, the father of Michael. It was Robert who shifted to Clapham Wood Hall from Bolton-le-Sands. But the credit of the family's move from Clapham to Outgill, near Kirkby Stephen goes to Richard who suggested to James, father of Michael to join him 'at the thriving inn and the prospects for a blacksmith.' It was here that James came in contact with Margaret Hastwell, sister of Mary, who was Richard's (Michael's uncle) wife.[br /]
[br /]
As the smithy business prospered there, James had enough work to provide adequately for the growing family. Margaret, his mother had earlier worked as a maid-servant. She was described a neat, dark-haired girl who must, even as a lass, have shown that good sense which her son later praised. She was 'a pious, industrious and all that a man could desire in a wife.' She was married to James on June 11, 1786. [br /]
[br /]
Michael was born on September 22, 1791 at Newington Butts in Surrey, England. His father was by then an established blacksmith in Surrey village, a part of South London. It was shortly before Michael’s birth, that his parents and his older brother Robert had migrated from Northwest England to Newington Butts, in search of occupation. The outbreak of the French Revolution and a resultant depression in England took toll on James health adding to depleting finances, that led to his moving in to Newington.[br /]
[br /]
The early years for Michael were very hard ones. His fathers finances were in doldrums, as became the state of his health. Michael's state came to such a stage that he would be allotted one loaf of bread which had to last him through a week. When he was five, the Faradays moved to Jacob’s Well Mews, Charles Street, near Manchester Square in London. Michael later recalled, "I remember the streets made a maze, filthy with foul garbage. Although my father was of the artisan class, we were taking lodging in rooms over a coach-house. For a time my mother could give me little more than a loaf of bread a week. Still I have pleasant memories of family and playing juvenile games, particularly marbles with fellow boys of Manchester Square."[br /]
[br /]
Michael’s parents were the followers of a small Christian sect, called Sandemanians, who followed the teachings of Christ as written in the New Testament. They believed in simple living and high thinking and provided spiritual sustenance to Michael throughout his life. It was the single most important influence upon Michael that motivated him in every way that he approached and interpreted nature.[br /]
[br /]
Michael was the luckiest among all four siblings to have received basic education. Though it was not a formal one, in an autobiographical note, Michael recalled that he had attended a day school and had learnt the "rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic". Many would say that Michael Faraday was self-taught, a being bereft of any benefit from any formal schooling. At an early age, he began to earn money by delivering newspapers for a book dealer and bookbinder. Being too small to follow in his father’s trade, his parents sent him to work for George Riebau, a bookseller and a bookbinder of 2 Blandford Street. At the age of 14, Michael was apprenticed as a bookbinder. He enjoyed learning and mastering the art of bookbinding and all his life, continued to put his experience and expertise in binding his hand written notes. During his seven years apprenticeship, Michael made acquaintance of M. Masquerier, a French painter lodging with Riebau.[br /]
[br /]
Riebau loaned books for reading to Michael and also taught him sketching. Michael took this opportunity to enrich his knowledge. In his own words, "Fortunately many books of a scientific nature came to me. I remember that when first I evidenced a predilection for the sciences and more particularly, for what one denominated electricity, Riebau kindly interested himself in the progress I made in the knowledge of facts relating to the different theories in existence, readily permitting me to examine those books in his possession that were in way related to the subjects then occupying my attention." Michael compiled interesting extracts and sketches to make his first notebook entitled The Philosophical Miscellany. [br /]
[br /]
This was the period when he read books on scientific subjects with keen interest – especially physics and chemistry and started little experiments on electricity. Becoming fascinated by science, he wrote to Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute of London seeking a job. He spent the waiting period while reading Jane Marcet’s Conversations on Chemistry and the scientific entries from the Encyclopedia Britannica. The article on electricity in the third edition of Encyclopedia Britannica particularly fascinated him. He built a weak voltaic pile with which he performed some chemical experiments. He also built his own Electro-static Generator using used bottles and lumber.[br /]
[br /]
The City Philosophical Society was a local group of young men who were devoted to self-improvement. They met every week to hear lectures on various topics related to science and discuss the current affairs of the scientific world. In 1810, Michael took a wise decision to join the society. In future, it would be the place, where as a scientist, he would give his first scientific lecture.[br /]
[br /]
Above all, Faraday was feeling that his progress in sciences was not good enough and was ever thirsty to know more. Towards the end of his apprenticeship, he joined M. de la Roche as a journeyman and bookbinder on October 8, 1812. This was his second apprenticeship. Here too, he was not happy about the state of affairs and in low spirits, he wrote to the Royal Society asking for a job. In his own words, "The desire to be engaged in scientific occupation, even though of the lowest kind, induced me to write and in my ignorance of the world and simplicity of my mind to Sir Joseph Banks, then President of the Royal Society (begging for a position of the lowest level). Naturally, no answer was the answer left with the porter." Michael all this time, made futile efforts to improve his education while continuing reading, attending public lectures, and discussing ideas with friends, exchanging and writing notes and essays.[br /]
[br /]
He by now, had developed a habit of writing long letters to intimate friends even though he met them frequently in person. He formed a simple chemistry laboratory in a room at the bookshop. He saved pennies from his wages to buy glass bottles in which to study and carry out chemical reactions. His efforts at self-education came to the notice of one of Riebau’s wealthy customers Mr. William Dance, who was the co-founder of the Royal Philharmonic Society. He offered him a ticket to attend chemistry lectures by Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute. Davy then had become famous in the world of science by isolating the metals – sodium and potassium by the process of electrolysis using the electric batteries, recently invented by Volta. Michael was thoroughly impressed and used to copiously note down every lecture and return home.[br /]
[br /]
With the seemingly unrealizable hope of entering the scientific arena, he then sent a bound copy of his notes to Davy and pleaded for a job. Davy was impressed, but unfortunately, there was no vacancy for him there. Then in 1812, two events occurred that paved the way for Faraday to set on the road to success. Firstly, Davy suffered eye injury hampering his ability to perform experiments and secondly, one of Davy’s laboratory assistants was dismissed for causing a brawl. Faraday was offered the job and thus began his career as Davy’s laboratory assistant, on March 1, 1813.[br /]
[br /]
[b]THE CHEMIST IN HIS MAKING[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday was lucky to learn chemistry from one of the greatest chemists of those days. Without exaggeration, one can say that Michael Faraday was Humphry Davy’s greatest ‘accidental’ discovery. Davy recognized the qualities of Faraday and in the same year, took him on a tour of Europe, visiting and meeting scientists in Paris. The two years tour of the continent allowed him the opportunity to learn French and a bit of Italian. But by the end of the tour, he was thoroughly disappointed. While touring, Davy’s snobbish wife treated him like a servant. Yet, he learnt all that he could, during the voyage notwithstanding Mrs. Davy’s insinuations.[br /]
[br /]
Moreover, viewing from close quarters, the social intrigue and lust for fame, had tarnished the moral philosophy he much sought in scientific research. He thought : "Alas! How foolish perhaps was I to leave home, to leave those whom I loved and who loved me. And what are the boasted advantages to be gained? Knowledge of the world, of men, of manners, of books and of languages. Things in themselves valuable above all praise, but which everyday shows me prostituted to the basest purposes. Alas! How degrading it is to be learned when it places us on a level with rogues and scoundrels! How disgusting, when it serves but to show us the artifices and deceits all around! Knowledge of the world opens the eyes to the deceit and corruption of mankind." After returning to his hometown in April 1815, he resolved never to leave again but to strengthen his efforts to gain the discipline of some superior moral philosopher, that which was an ideal goal for him.[br /]
[br /]
Now, Faraday delved into research work at the Royal Institute. He went on to perfect and gain expertise at chemical analysis. Monetary crisis coupled with his poor salary, forced him to take up odd jobs like the one at the insurance company.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MARRIAGE[/b][br /]
[br /]
The year 1821 was in many ways, very decisive for Faraday. On June 2, he married Sarah Barnard, daughter of one of the leading Sandemanian families in London. This paragraph, though written in third person, is a mirror of his married life – "On June 12, 1821, he married, an event which more than any other contributed to his earthly happiness and healthful state of mind. The union has continued for 28 years and has in no way changed, except in the depth and strength of its character." On July 15, the same year, he made his confession of Faith in the Sandemanian Church.[br /]
[br /]
[b]DISCOVERING BENZENE: [/b][br /]
[br /]
After marriage, Faraday began making concerted efforts to study chemistry. His efforts put paid in a very short span of time. In 1823, he discovered that the chemical chlorine could be liquefied from its gaseous state. In 1825, he isolated and described a new substance, which is today commonly known as benzene. The decade of 1820s was Faraday’s decade that eventually acknowledged his contributions and acclaimed him as a chemist of repute. His discovery – Benzene, became a base compound of study in the chemical industry as well as in the study of organic chemistry.[br /]
[br /]
[b]UNVEILING ELECTROMAGNETISM[/b][br /]
[br /]
Now Faraday’s interest in electricity took precedence over all his other interests. Many contemporary scientists were investigating the magnetic effects of electric current flowing through the wire. In 1821, soon after the Danish chemist Hans Christian Oersted laid the foundations of the phenomenon of magnetic effects of current, Faraday discovered the phenomenon of Electromagnetism. He built an electric motor, which made a coiled wire carrying current rotate around the pole of a magnet. Using electricity and magnetism to produce motion, Faraday tried to reverse the motion. For a number of years, he struggled to establish a ‘mutual relationship of electricity, magnetism and motion.’[br /]
[br /]
Ten years later, Faraday discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction – the greatest discovery he had ever achieved. He was overwhelmed with the results of the series of experiments. When a magnet was moved in and out of the coil of wire, a current was produced in the wire, but only when the magnet was in motion. Faraday’s discovery brought a drastic change in the society. All power stations started using electromagnetic induction to generate electricity and transmit the same to homes, shops, offices and factories. Faraday’s discovery is considered as the first Electric Generator. Faraday was elected to the Royal Society in 1824 and the following year fetched him a directorship of the laboratory of an institution for him.[br /]
[br /]
Between 1830 and 1851, Faraday was Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. During his tenure, many officers of the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery learnt chemistry from him. Around this time, he became a celebrity in Britain and was offered many jobs in various universities and honors flowed in. He was bestowed with the Royal and Rumford Medals of the Royal Society. He was also offered the presidency of the society but declined the honor, akin to most of the other honors.[br /]
[br /]
Though Faraday was not a learned mathematician, he always had a realistic approach of applying mathematics in day-to-day life. Although none of Faraday’s devices are in practical use today, they have immensely contributed towards enhanced theoretical understanding of electricity and magnetism. Faraday through a couple of letters addressed to the Royal Society, dated November 24, 1831 and January 12, 1832, described the conclusions of his experiments in two parts later titled as Experimental Researches Into Electrochemistry. It was a new phenomenon of electrolysis, which was described by two fundamental laws – the First and Second Law of Electrolysis. It laid the foundation for another great modern industry and Electrochemistry.[br /]
[br /]
Between 1832 and 1834, he enunciated a new theory of electrochemical action with William Whewell and gave new words now so familiar – electrode, electrolyte, anode, cathode and ion. Two years later, Faraday was appointed scientific advisor to Trinity House, the post he held until 1865. The Royal Institute where he then succeeded Davy as professor of chemistry gave him a pension of 300 pounds per year.[br /]
[br /]
The strain of eight years of sustained theoretical work resulted in a breakdown of his health, in 1839. For the next six years, he did little on the creative science front. Until 1845, he was unable to pick up the threads of his researches and extend his theoretical views.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MEETING OF SCIENCE AND SPIRIT[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday, the firm believer of the ‘unity of the forces of nature’ became an Elder at the Sandemanian Church in the 1840s. He started giving Friday evening discourses based on his speculations that all the forces of nature were but the manifestations of a single universal force, obviously a kind of monism. He devised fascinating demonstrations that informed and entertained the people including a member of the royal family, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Faraday also gave the Christmas lectures for children. For over 30 years, he had regularly delivered lectures to enhance people’s interest in science. His famous lecture – The Chemical History of a Candle has been published in various languages all over the world.[br /]
[br /]
He returned to active research in 1845. This time, he decided to tackle a problem that he had been obsessed with for years. He gave the theory of Diamagnetism. He gave his views in the lecture entitled Thoughts on Ray-vibration, in April 1846. This lecture turned out to be the base of the new field of study– Electro-magnetism, which Faraday developed in the ensuing years. Thompson formally drafted this study in theory, in its mathematical form. At Thompson’s insistence, James Clark Maxwell worked further on it and in his hands it became and remained one of the cornerstones of success in physics.[br /]
[br /]
Some of Faraday’s theories were not accepted by the later generations of scientists but his careful observations, well-designed experiments and exceptionally neat and detailed notes provided them with vast amount of data, which proved to be of vital importance. Around 1855, Faraday could no longer perform with the exceptional efficiency and mental strength, for which he was so well known. Throughout his state of ill health, he continued to perform experiments and verify important facts. One of his attempts was to find an electrical effect of raising a heavy weight, since he felt that gravity, like magnetism, must be convertible into some other force, most likely electrical. But in the evening of his life, he had to face disappointment, when the Royal Society refused to publish his results. This led him to a perennial state of depression.[br /]
[br /]
Faraday never really recovered from his illness in the period 1838-40. The giddiness and general malaise that were the main causes for concern were cured from but his mind was permanently affected. His memory began to fail as he would forget names and detail of his present day events. However, he could recall from the past very distinctly. He had almost given up entering into research activities as he could not read nor write. Age and time had taken their toll on this great mind of the 19th century. He was afflicted by memory loss, that came in form of attacks or spells. In summer of 1856, he was expected to visit Paris but differed, to cancel the same ultimately.[br /]
[br /]
He had ceased to write which had been his favorite hobby. No more was he able to lift his pen to write those voluminous works, scientific theories among others that he had churned out in his active past. Occasionally a shaft of sunny memory would break through setting him to pen a few lines to his friend Plucker, " and wondered at it but then remembered that you had been here since some of them and we had talked them over."[br /]
[br /]
However in 1858, Queen Victoria recognized his lifetime’s contribution to science by granting him a house at Hampton Court and bestowed upon him the honor of Knighthood. Faraday gratefully accepted the house but politely refused the Knighthood. All along, he lived a very simple and frugal life. In 1860, he again held the Eldership of the Sandemanian Church. In 1865, Faraday put a full stop to a long association with the Royal Institute. From 1865 to 1867 he gradually sank into senility. In his last days, Faraday spent time with his beloved wife in their magnificent cottage at Hampton Court Green, to the west of London along the river Thames. On August 25, 1867, the just and faithful knight of God left the earth forever, sitting quietly in his chair, leaving behind invaluable contributions bearing his stamp on future scientific and technical development.[br /]
[br /]
He surely deserved a place in the Westminster Abbey but alas, it was not to be to join the ranks of all those whom Britain wishes to honor. In accordance to his wishes, his funeral was carried out in his words' strictly private and plain'. He was buried at Highgate cemetery and his grave was marked by a simple grave stone on which was engraved:[br /]
[br /]
[b]MICHAEL FARADAY[/b][br /]
Born 22 September 1791 [br /]
Died 25 August 1867[br /]
[br /]
He remained simple Mr. Faraday to the end.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
During his period there was a reformation being carried out on the religious front with the evangelical zeal and dissent reaching its highest pitch in the north of England. Robert Faraday took to the new religion and became a Sandemanian of which Michael Faraday later called 'a small and despised set of Christians known, if known at all, as Sandemanians.' Robert it is said , took to preaching the simple and popular tenets of the sect that began to have mass appeal among the people. They as a sect believed and questioned on the very tenets of Christianity, like the New Testament, the relationship between the Church and the State etc.[br /]
[br /]
To this preacher of the Sandemanian sect and his wife was born seven children of which the eldest was Richard and a third called James, the father of Michael. It was Robert who shifted to Clapham Wood Hall from Bolton-le-Sands. But the credit of the family's move from Clapham to Outgill, near Kirkby Stephen goes to Richard who suggested to James, father of Michael to join him 'at the thriving inn and the prospects for a blacksmith.' It was here that James came in contact with Margaret Hastwell, sister of Mary, who was Richard's (Michael's uncle) wife.[br /]
[br /]
As the smithy business prospered there, James had enough work to provide adequately for the growing family. Margaret, his mother had earlier worked as a maid-servant. She was described a neat, dark-haired girl who must, even as a lass, have shown that good sense which her son later praised. She was 'a pious, industrious and all that a man could desire in a wife.' She was married to James on June 11, 1786. [br /]
[br /]
Michael was born on September 22, 1791 at Newington Butts in Surrey, England. His father was by then an established blacksmith in Surrey village, a part of South London. It was shortly before Michael’s birth, that his parents and his older brother Robert had migrated from Northwest England to Newington Butts, in search of occupation. The outbreak of the French Revolution and a resultant depression in England took toll on James health adding to depleting finances, that led to his moving in to Newington.[br /]
[br /]
The early years for Michael were very hard ones. His fathers finances were in doldrums, as became the state of his health. Michael's state came to such a stage that he would be allotted one loaf of bread which had to last him through a week. When he was five, the Faradays moved to Jacob’s Well Mews, Charles Street, near Manchester Square in London. Michael later recalled, "I remember the streets made a maze, filthy with foul garbage. Although my father was of the artisan class, we were taking lodging in rooms over a coach-house. For a time my mother could give me little more than a loaf of bread a week. Still I have pleasant memories of family and playing juvenile games, particularly marbles with fellow boys of Manchester Square."[br /]
[br /]
Michael’s parents were the followers of a small Christian sect, called Sandemanians, who followed the teachings of Christ as written in the New Testament. They believed in simple living and high thinking and provided spiritual sustenance to Michael throughout his life. It was the single most important influence upon Michael that motivated him in every way that he approached and interpreted nature.[br /]
[br /]
Michael was the luckiest among all four siblings to have received basic education. Though it was not a formal one, in an autobiographical note, Michael recalled that he had attended a day school and had learnt the "rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic". Many would say that Michael Faraday was self-taught, a being bereft of any benefit from any formal schooling. At an early age, he began to earn money by delivering newspapers for a book dealer and bookbinder. Being too small to follow in his father’s trade, his parents sent him to work for George Riebau, a bookseller and a bookbinder of 2 Blandford Street. At the age of 14, Michael was apprenticed as a bookbinder. He enjoyed learning and mastering the art of bookbinding and all his life, continued to put his experience and expertise in binding his hand written notes. During his seven years apprenticeship, Michael made acquaintance of M. Masquerier, a French painter lodging with Riebau.[br /]
[br /]
Riebau loaned books for reading to Michael and also taught him sketching. Michael took this opportunity to enrich his knowledge. In his own words, "Fortunately many books of a scientific nature came to me. I remember that when first I evidenced a predilection for the sciences and more particularly, for what one denominated electricity, Riebau kindly interested himself in the progress I made in the knowledge of facts relating to the different theories in existence, readily permitting me to examine those books in his possession that were in way related to the subjects then occupying my attention." Michael compiled interesting extracts and sketches to make his first notebook entitled The Philosophical Miscellany. [br /]
[br /]
This was the period when he read books on scientific subjects with keen interest – especially physics and chemistry and started little experiments on electricity. Becoming fascinated by science, he wrote to Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute of London seeking a job. He spent the waiting period while reading Jane Marcet’s Conversations on Chemistry and the scientific entries from the Encyclopedia Britannica. The article on electricity in the third edition of Encyclopedia Britannica particularly fascinated him. He built a weak voltaic pile with which he performed some chemical experiments. He also built his own Electro-static Generator using used bottles and lumber.[br /]
[br /]
The City Philosophical Society was a local group of young men who were devoted to self-improvement. They met every week to hear lectures on various topics related to science and discuss the current affairs of the scientific world. In 1810, Michael took a wise decision to join the society. In future, it would be the place, where as a scientist, he would give his first scientific lecture.[br /]
[br /]
Above all, Faraday was feeling that his progress in sciences was not good enough and was ever thirsty to know more. Towards the end of his apprenticeship, he joined M. de la Roche as a journeyman and bookbinder on October 8, 1812. This was his second apprenticeship. Here too, he was not happy about the state of affairs and in low spirits, he wrote to the Royal Society asking for a job. In his own words, "The desire to be engaged in scientific occupation, even though of the lowest kind, induced me to write and in my ignorance of the world and simplicity of my mind to Sir Joseph Banks, then President of the Royal Society (begging for a position of the lowest level). Naturally, no answer was the answer left with the porter." Michael all this time, made futile efforts to improve his education while continuing reading, attending public lectures, and discussing ideas with friends, exchanging and writing notes and essays.[br /]
[br /]
He by now, had developed a habit of writing long letters to intimate friends even though he met them frequently in person. He formed a simple chemistry laboratory in a room at the bookshop. He saved pennies from his wages to buy glass bottles in which to study and carry out chemical reactions. His efforts at self-education came to the notice of one of Riebau’s wealthy customers Mr. William Dance, who was the co-founder of the Royal Philharmonic Society. He offered him a ticket to attend chemistry lectures by Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute. Davy then had become famous in the world of science by isolating the metals – sodium and potassium by the process of electrolysis using the electric batteries, recently invented by Volta. Michael was thoroughly impressed and used to copiously note down every lecture and return home.[br /]
[br /]
With the seemingly unrealizable hope of entering the scientific arena, he then sent a bound copy of his notes to Davy and pleaded for a job. Davy was impressed, but unfortunately, there was no vacancy for him there. Then in 1812, two events occurred that paved the way for Faraday to set on the road to success. Firstly, Davy suffered eye injury hampering his ability to perform experiments and secondly, one of Davy’s laboratory assistants was dismissed for causing a brawl. Faraday was offered the job and thus began his career as Davy’s laboratory assistant, on March 1, 1813.[br /]
[br /]
[b]THE CHEMIST IN HIS MAKING[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday was lucky to learn chemistry from one of the greatest chemists of those days. Without exaggeration, one can say that Michael Faraday was Humphry Davy’s greatest ‘accidental’ discovery. Davy recognized the qualities of Faraday and in the same year, took him on a tour of Europe, visiting and meeting scientists in Paris. The two years tour of the continent allowed him the opportunity to learn French and a bit of Italian. But by the end of the tour, he was thoroughly disappointed. While touring, Davy’s snobbish wife treated him like a servant. Yet, he learnt all that he could, during the voyage notwithstanding Mrs. Davy’s insinuations.[br /]
[br /]
Moreover, viewing from close quarters, the social intrigue and lust for fame, had tarnished the moral philosophy he much sought in scientific research. He thought : "Alas! How foolish perhaps was I to leave home, to leave those whom I loved and who loved me. And what are the boasted advantages to be gained? Knowledge of the world, of men, of manners, of books and of languages. Things in themselves valuable above all praise, but which everyday shows me prostituted to the basest purposes. Alas! How degrading it is to be learned when it places us on a level with rogues and scoundrels! How disgusting, when it serves but to show us the artifices and deceits all around! Knowledge of the world opens the eyes to the deceit and corruption of mankind." After returning to his hometown in April 1815, he resolved never to leave again but to strengthen his efforts to gain the discipline of some superior moral philosopher, that which was an ideal goal for him.[br /]
[br /]
Now, Faraday delved into research work at the Royal Institute. He went on to perfect and gain expertise at chemical analysis. Monetary crisis coupled with his poor salary, forced him to take up odd jobs like the one at the insurance company.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MARRIAGE[/b][br /]
[br /]
The year 1821 was in many ways, very decisive for Faraday. On June 2, he married Sarah Barnard, daughter of one of the leading Sandemanian families in London. This paragraph, though written in third person, is a mirror of his married life – "On June 12, 1821, he married, an event which more than any other contributed to his earthly happiness and healthful state of mind. The union has continued for 28 years and has in no way changed, except in the depth and strength of its character." On July 15, the same year, he made his confession of Faith in the Sandemanian Church.[br /]
[br /]
[b]DISCOVERING BENZENE: [/b][br /]
[br /]
After marriage, Faraday began making concerted efforts to study chemistry. His efforts put paid in a very short span of time. In 1823, he discovered that the chemical chlorine could be liquefied from its gaseous state. In 1825, he isolated and described a new substance, which is today commonly known as benzene. The decade of 1820s was Faraday’s decade that eventually acknowledged his contributions and acclaimed him as a chemist of repute. His discovery – Benzene, became a base compound of study in the chemical industry as well as in the study of organic chemistry.[br /]
[br /]
[b]UNVEILING ELECTROMAGNETISM[/b][br /]
[br /]
Now Faraday’s interest in electricity took precedence over all his other interests. Many contemporary scientists were investigating the magnetic effects of electric current flowing through the wire. In 1821, soon after the Danish chemist Hans Christian Oersted laid the foundations of the phenomenon of magnetic effects of current, Faraday discovered the phenomenon of Electromagnetism. He built an electric motor, which made a coiled wire carrying current rotate around the pole of a magnet. Using electricity and magnetism to produce motion, Faraday tried to reverse the motion. For a number of years, he struggled to establish a ‘mutual relationship of electricity, magnetism and motion.’[br /]
[br /]
Ten years later, Faraday discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction – the greatest discovery he had ever achieved. He was overwhelmed with the results of the series of experiments. When a magnet was moved in and out of the coil of wire, a current was produced in the wire, but only when the magnet was in motion. Faraday’s discovery brought a drastic change in the society. All power stations started using electromagnetic induction to generate electricity and transmit the same to homes, shops, offices and factories. Faraday’s discovery is considered as the first Electric Generator. Faraday was elected to the Royal Society in 1824 and the following year fetched him a directorship of the laboratory of an institution for him.[br /]
[br /]
Between 1830 and 1851, Faraday was Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. During his tenure, many officers of the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery learnt chemistry from him. Around this time, he became a celebrity in Britain and was offered many jobs in various universities and honors flowed in. He was bestowed with the Royal and Rumford Medals of the Royal Society. He was also offered the presidency of the society but declined the honor, akin to most of the other honors.[br /]
[br /]
Though Faraday was not a learned mathematician, he always had a realistic approach of applying mathematics in day-to-day life. Although none of Faraday’s devices are in practical use today, they have immensely contributed towards enhanced theoretical understanding of electricity and magnetism. Faraday through a couple of letters addressed to the Royal Society, dated November 24, 1831 and January 12, 1832, described the conclusions of his experiments in two parts later titled as Experimental Researches Into Electrochemistry. It was a new phenomenon of electrolysis, which was described by two fundamental laws – the First and Second Law of Electrolysis. It laid the foundation for another great modern industry and Electrochemistry.[br /]
[br /]
Between 1832 and 1834, he enunciated a new theory of electrochemical action with William Whewell and gave new words now so familiar – electrode, electrolyte, anode, cathode and ion. Two years later, Faraday was appointed scientific advisor to Trinity House, the post he held until 1865. The Royal Institute where he then succeeded Davy as professor of chemistry gave him a pension of 300 pounds per year.[br /]
[br /]
The strain of eight years of sustained theoretical work resulted in a breakdown of his health, in 1839. For the next six years, he did little on the creative science front. Until 1845, he was unable to pick up the threads of his researches and extend his theoretical views.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MEETING OF SCIENCE AND SPIRIT[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday, the firm believer of the ‘unity of the forces of nature’ became an Elder at the Sandemanian Church in the 1840s. He started giving Friday evening discourses based on his speculations that all the forces of nature were but the manifestations of a single universal force, obviously a kind of monism. He devised fascinating demonstrations that informed and entertained the people including a member of the royal family, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Faraday also gave the Christmas lectures for children. For over 30 years, he had regularly delivered lectures to enhance people’s interest in science. His famous lecture – The Chemical History of a Candle has been published in various languages all over the world.[br /]
[br /]
He returned to active research in 1845. This time, he decided to tackle a problem that he had been obsessed with for years. He gave the theory of Diamagnetism. He gave his views in the lecture entitled Thoughts on Ray-vibration, in April 1846. This lecture turned out to be the base of the new field of study– Electro-magnetism, which Faraday developed in the ensuing years. Thompson formally drafted this study in theory, in its mathematical form. At Thompson’s insistence, James Clark Maxwell worked further on it and in his hands it became and remained one of the cornerstones of success in physics.[br /]
[br /]
Some of Faraday’s theories were not accepted by the later generations of scientists but his careful observations, well-designed experiments and exceptionally neat and detailed notes provided them with vast amount of data, which proved to be of vital importance. Around 1855, Faraday could no longer perform with the exceptional efficiency and mental strength, for which he was so well known. Throughout his state of ill health, he continued to perform experiments and verify important facts. One of his attempts was to find an electrical effect of raising a heavy weight, since he felt that gravity, like magnetism, must be convertible into some other force, most likely electrical. But in the evening of his life, he had to face disappointment, when the Royal Society refused to publish his results. This led him to a perennial state of depression.[br /]
[br /]
Faraday never really recovered from his illness in the period 1838-40. The giddiness and general malaise that were the main causes for concern were cured from but his mind was permanently affected. His memory began to fail as he would forget names and detail of his present day events. However, he could recall from the past very distinctly. He had almost given up entering into research activities as he could not read nor write. Age and time had taken their toll on this great mind of the 19th century. He was afflicted by memory loss, that came in form of attacks or spells. In summer of 1856, he was expected to visit Paris but differed, to cancel the same ultimately.[br /]
[br /]
He had ceased to write which had been his favorite hobby. No more was he able to lift his pen to write those voluminous works, scientific theories among others that he had churned out in his active past. Occasionally a shaft of sunny memory would break through setting him to pen a few lines to his friend Plucker, " and wondered at it but then remembered that you had been here since some of them and we had talked them over."[br /]
[br /]
However in 1858, Queen Victoria recognized his lifetime’s contribution to science by granting him a house at Hampton Court and bestowed upon him the honor of Knighthood. Faraday gratefully accepted the house but politely refused the Knighthood. All along, he lived a very simple and frugal life. In 1860, he again held the Eldership of the Sandemanian Church. In 1865, Faraday put a full stop to a long association with the Royal Institute. From 1865 to 1867 he gradually sank into senility. In his last days, Faraday spent time with his beloved wife in their magnificent cottage at Hampton Court Green, to the west of London along the river Thames. On August 25, 1867, the just and faithful knight of God left the earth forever, sitting quietly in his chair, leaving behind invaluable contributions bearing his stamp on future scientific and technical development.[br /]
[br /]
He surely deserved a place in the Westminster Abbey but alas, it was not to be to join the ranks of all those whom Britain wishes to honor. In accordance to his wishes, his funeral was carried out in his words' strictly private and plain'. He was buried at Highgate cemetery and his grave was marked by a simple grave stone on which was engraved:[br /]
[br /]
[b]MICHAEL FARADAY[/b][br /]
Born 22 September 1791 [br /]
Died 25 August 1867[br /]
[br /]
He remained simple Mr. Faraday to the end.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
Faraday, an individual admired and adored by the masses, was among the great scientific minds of the 19th century. A British physicist and chemist, he is best known for his discoveries of electro-magnetic rotation, electro-magnetic induction and the dynamo. The practical applications of electricity – the great invention, had its origin in the discoveries made by this greatest experimentalist of Britain. His discoveries have shaped our lives and are revolutionizing the universe even today. He never expected wealth or honor and remained a quiet, religious man throughout his life. His unmitigated faith in nature influenced every endeavor of his scientific quests: his motivation for research; his theoretical orientation; the experimental problems he pursued; his interpretation of worldly phenomena and his attempts at popularizing science.[br /]
[br /]
Following the footsteps of his predecessor Benjamin Franklin, he tried to emulate him even though he was not educated. August 29, 1831, will be remembered as the red-letter day in the history of electricity when a mere bottle-washer revealed the hidden relationship between two powerful sources – electricity and magnetism. Without this magnificent simplification of such a diverse phenomenon called electricity, the age of electricity would have been delayed beyond doubt.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
Following the footsteps of his predecessor Benjamin Franklin, he tried to emulate him even though he was not educated. August 29, 1831, will be remembered as the red-letter day in the history of electricity when a mere bottle-washer revealed the hidden relationship between two powerful sources – electricity and magnetism. Without this magnificent simplification of such a diverse phenomenon called electricity, the age of electricity would have been delayed beyond doubt.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[b]September 22, 1791[/b] Born in London, England.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1805[/b] Apprenticed to George Riebau as bookbinder.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1812[/b] Became Humphry Davy’s assistant at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1813[/b] Went to Europe with Humphry Davy.[br /]
[br /]
[b]May 21, 1821[/b] Promoted to be Superintendent of the House at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]June 12, 1821[/b] Married Sarah Barnard.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1825[/b] Discovered Benzene. Appointed Director of the laboratory at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]August 29, 1831[/b] Discovered electro-magnetic induction.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1832-1834[/b] Enunciated a new theory of electro-chemical action.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1836[/b] Appointed Scientific Advisor at Trinity House.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1838[/b] Faraday suffered from first attack of mental illness.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1840[/b] Recovered temporarily.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1861[/b] Resigned as a lecturer at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]August 25, 1867[/b] Died at Hampton Court, England.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[b]1805[/b] Apprenticed to George Riebau as bookbinder.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1812[/b] Became Humphry Davy’s assistant at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1813[/b] Went to Europe with Humphry Davy.[br /]
[br /]
[b]May 21, 1821[/b] Promoted to be Superintendent of the House at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]June 12, 1821[/b] Married Sarah Barnard.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1825[/b] Discovered Benzene. Appointed Director of the laboratory at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]August 29, 1831[/b] Discovered electro-magnetic induction.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1832-1834[/b] Enunciated a new theory of electro-chemical action.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1836[/b] Appointed Scientific Advisor at Trinity House.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1838[/b] Faraday suffered from first attack of mental illness.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1840[/b] Recovered temporarily.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1861[/b] Resigned as a lecturer at the Royal Institute.[br /]
[br /]
[b]August 25, 1867[/b] Died at Hampton Court, England.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
"My theory of electrolysis; my ideas on electromagnetism and fields of force I shall leave to others to ponder and refine. I give forth the bold idea of anti-materialism; breaking the unanimous hold of millennia on matter that says its consideration must be either material or spiritual; giving freedom to thought."[br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s earliest researches were in the field of chemistry. The voyage of his scientific researches, which lasted for more than four decades, began in 1812. When he got the job in the laboratory at the Royal Institute of London, a wave of revolution was passing throughout Europe, and it affected all fields, including chemistry. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the French chemist credited for founding modern chemistry, had effected the rearrangement of knowledge in chemistry in the 1770s and 80s. He had established the principle that oxygen was a unique element and it was available everywhere. Sir Humphry Davy, whom Faraday was assisting then, discovered sodium and potassium by passing powerful current from a galvanic battery to decompose oxides of these elements. The products of the decomposition of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid were hydrogen and a green gas. When combined with water, they produced an acid. Davy concluded that this gas was an element and named his discovery as Chlorine. Moreover, an atomic theory proposed by the 18th century scientist, Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich had a deep influence on Faraday. According to Boscovich, the atoms were mathematical points surrounded by alternating fields of attractive and repulsive forces. These strains were the source of inspiration behind Faraday’s inventions.[br /]
[br /]
[b]RESEARCHES IN CHEMISTRY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Whenever Faraday found himself away from laboratory duties he would spend time on his independent research work. In the spring of 1820, he began the examination of a substance known as chloride. He made an apparatus for liquefying chlorine and produced the gas by heating the hydrate. While experimenting, both chlorine and vapor were formed, thus creating pressure within the tube. At the right, the tube was cooled with ice. The combination of pressure along with cooling changed the chlorine gas into liquid state. Dr. Paris, another scientist happened to enter the laboratory while Faraday was at work. Seeing the oily liquid in his tube, he scolded the young chemist for his lack of cleanliness and carelessness. Early next morning, Dr. Paris received the following note :[br /]
[br /]
Dear Sir – The oil you noticed yesterday turns out to be liquid chlorine.[br /]
[br /]
Indeed, Faraday had successfully liquefied chlorine. He produced the first known compounds of carbon and chlorine – C2Cl6 and C2Cl4. The account of the first investigation was read before the Royal Society and the publication was attributed to Faraday, in the Philosophical Transactions.[br /]
[br /]
Figure A[br /]
[br /]
In 1825, as a result of research on illuminating gases, he isolated Benzene, which has become the foundation of aniline dyes used for dyeing cloth. In the same decade, he also conducted experiments on steel alloys and his results paved the way for scientific study in metallurgy and metallography. He was assigned the job to improve the quality of optical glass for telescopes by the Royal Society of London. While completing an assignment, he produced a glass of very high refractive index. Later, this basic invention led him towards a still bigger discovery of the Diamagnetism effect.[br /]
[br /]
[b]THE FIRST ELECTRIC MOTOR[/b][br /]
[br /]
Hans Christian Oersted, in 1820, discovered the action of a voltaic current on a magnetic needle. He announced that the flow of an electric current through a wire produced a magnetic field around the wire. Immediately afterwards, André Marie Ampère succeeded in showing that the magnetic force apparently was a circular one, producing in effect a cylinder of magnetic effect around the wire. Till then, no such circular force had ever been observed. Faraday was the first to understand what it implied. He concentrated on the subject, read much about it and within a span of three months, he wrote a History of the Progress of Electromagnetism. It was published in Thomson’s Annals of Philosophy. Soon afterwards, he took up the subject of magnetic rotation. He worked and reached the conclusion that if a magnetic pole could be isolated; it would turn out to move constantly in a circle around a current – carrying wire. His ingenuity and skill enabled him to build up a device that confirmed his conclusion. The apparatus is known as the first electric motor, which transforms one form of energy to another, that is electrical energy gets converted to mechanical energy. It was the first Dynamo the world had ever seen.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MAGNETO–ELECTRICITY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s major breakthrough in electricity was the discovery of Electric Motor. Thereafter, he kept experimenting with the electric motor and made several models. Though his motors were not so advanced, his invention laid the very basis for all motors. This discovery also led Faraday to contemplate on the nature of electricity, the field in which he put in his very best. Contemporaries of Faraday believed that electricity was a material fluid, which flowed through wires like water through a pipe. Faraday did not agree with such a belief. According to him, it is a vibration or force that was somehow transmitted as a result of tensions created within the conductor. He began working with ways to generate electricity. He did a series of experiments with Charles Wheatstone, in the spring of 1831. He wound a thick iron ring on one side with insulated wire that was connected to a battery. The opposite side was wound with a wire that was connected to a galvanometer. He expected that a wave would be produced, when the battery circuit was closed. When he did so, the galvanometer needle jumped to his utter surprise. A current had been induced in the secondary coil by the primary. When he reopened the circuit, to his astonishment, the galvanometer again jumped but in the opposite direction. He concluded that turning off the current also created an induced current in the secondary circuit, equal and opposite to the original current. Faraday named this phenomenon as the electronic state, considered as a state of tension. In the fall of 1831, he tried to create a current by using a permanent magnet. He reached the conclusion that when a permanent magnet was moved in and out of a coil of wire, a current was induced in the coil. He knew that there were some forces that surround the magnets. Faraday saw the lines of magnetic force, thus revealed as lines of tension surrounding the magnet. He gave a new law determining the production of electric currents by magnets : The magnitude of the current was dependent upon the number of lines of the force cut by the conductor in unit time.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure B[/b][br /]
[br /]
His first paper on magneto-electric induction was read before the Royal Society on November 24, 1831. All the scientists acknowledged that Faraday had made one of his greatest discoveries earlier, on August 29, 1831 using his induction ring, the first known electric transformer. He defined the term Electro-magnetic induction as the induction or generation of electricity in a wire by means of the electro-magnetic effect of a current in another wire.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure C [/b][br /]
[br /]
The second research paper was presented before the Royal Society on January 12, 1832. It included the results of Faraday’s second series of experiments in September 1831; when he discovered electro-magnetic induction, to produce steady electric current. Faraday attached two wires through a sliding contact of a copper disc. By rotating the disc between the poles of a horseshoe magnet, he succeeded in obtaining a continuous direct current. This was another discovery of Faraday – the first electric generator.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure D[/b][br /]
[br /]
Later, a Frenchman, Hippolyte Pixii constructed an improved version of the electric generator. All the generators in power stations today, are based on Faraday’s two principal laws of electro-magnetic induction.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure E[/b][br /]
[br /]
As shown in the figure, the lines of magnetic force pass out of the North Pole of a magnet, and enter the South Pole. To produce induced currents in a coil it was only necessary to cut appropriately the lines of magnetic force. For the arrangement shown, the coil may be spun around its vertical axis or drawn back and forth across the end of the magnet.[br /]
[br /]
[b]ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Following the discovery of electro-magnetic induction, the biggest breakthrough in Electricity in the 1800s, Faraday investigated the phenomena of Electrolysis. Faraday established two laws of electro-chemistry.[br /]
[br /]
First Law : The amount of a substance deposited on each electrode of an electrolytic cell is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity passed through the cell.[br /]
[br /]
Second Law : The quantities of different elements deposited by a given amount of electricity are in the ratio of their chemical equivalent weights.[br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s work in electro-chemistry provided him with an essential clue for the investigation of static electrical induction. By 1839, he was able to bring forth a new and general Theory of Electrical Action. According to it, all electrical action is the result of forced strains in bodies.[br /]
[br /]
[b]DIAMAGNETISM[/b][br /]
[br /]
Due to poor health, Faraday kept away from active research between years 1839 and 45. Thereafter, he chose to devote his time on the phenomenon of magnetic field and induction. He received a letter from a junior scientist William Thomson. William wrote that he had studied Faraday’s papers on electricity and magnetism and was convinced that some kind of strain existed. He suggested Faraday to perform experiments with magnetic lines of force, as it could be more powerful than the electrostatic ones. Faraday was impressed by the suggestion and began new research. He passed a beam of plane polarized light through the optical glass of high refractive index, which he had discovered two decades ago. Then he turned on an electro-magnet to ensure the lines of force ran parallel to the rays of light. As a result, the plane of polarization was rotated, indicating a strain in the molecules of the glass. But as he changed the direction of light, the rotation remained in the same direction. Faraday soon interpreted that the strain was not in the molecules of the glass but in the magnetic lines of force. [br /]
[br /]
On further experimenting, he found to his surprise that some substances - like iron, cobalt, nickel and oxygen, lined up parallel to the lines of force, while others lined up perpendicular to the lines of force. Faraday named the first group paramagnetic and the second diamagnetic. It was a birth of new theory – Diamagnetism. According to it, paramagnetic bodies conduct magnetic lines of force better than the surrounding medium, whereas diamagnetic conduct them less well. This was the last major milestone achieved by Faraday in his long trek of scientific researches. His contribution was such that renowned scientist Maxwell later admitted that the basic ideas for his (Maxwell’s) mathematical theory of electrical and magnetic fields came from Faraday. Even his classical field equations were formed on the basis of Faraday’s researches, proving the worth of Faraday's efforts and works.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s earliest researches were in the field of chemistry. The voyage of his scientific researches, which lasted for more than four decades, began in 1812. When he got the job in the laboratory at the Royal Institute of London, a wave of revolution was passing throughout Europe, and it affected all fields, including chemistry. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the French chemist credited for founding modern chemistry, had effected the rearrangement of knowledge in chemistry in the 1770s and 80s. He had established the principle that oxygen was a unique element and it was available everywhere. Sir Humphry Davy, whom Faraday was assisting then, discovered sodium and potassium by passing powerful current from a galvanic battery to decompose oxides of these elements. The products of the decomposition of muriatic (hydrochloric) acid were hydrogen and a green gas. When combined with water, they produced an acid. Davy concluded that this gas was an element and named his discovery as Chlorine. Moreover, an atomic theory proposed by the 18th century scientist, Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich had a deep influence on Faraday. According to Boscovich, the atoms were mathematical points surrounded by alternating fields of attractive and repulsive forces. These strains were the source of inspiration behind Faraday’s inventions.[br /]
[br /]
[b]RESEARCHES IN CHEMISTRY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Whenever Faraday found himself away from laboratory duties he would spend time on his independent research work. In the spring of 1820, he began the examination of a substance known as chloride. He made an apparatus for liquefying chlorine and produced the gas by heating the hydrate. While experimenting, both chlorine and vapor were formed, thus creating pressure within the tube. At the right, the tube was cooled with ice. The combination of pressure along with cooling changed the chlorine gas into liquid state. Dr. Paris, another scientist happened to enter the laboratory while Faraday was at work. Seeing the oily liquid in his tube, he scolded the young chemist for his lack of cleanliness and carelessness. Early next morning, Dr. Paris received the following note :[br /]
[br /]
Dear Sir – The oil you noticed yesterday turns out to be liquid chlorine.[br /]
[br /]
Indeed, Faraday had successfully liquefied chlorine. He produced the first known compounds of carbon and chlorine – C2Cl6 and C2Cl4. The account of the first investigation was read before the Royal Society and the publication was attributed to Faraday, in the Philosophical Transactions.[br /]
[br /]
Figure A[br /]
[br /]
In 1825, as a result of research on illuminating gases, he isolated Benzene, which has become the foundation of aniline dyes used for dyeing cloth. In the same decade, he also conducted experiments on steel alloys and his results paved the way for scientific study in metallurgy and metallography. He was assigned the job to improve the quality of optical glass for telescopes by the Royal Society of London. While completing an assignment, he produced a glass of very high refractive index. Later, this basic invention led him towards a still bigger discovery of the Diamagnetism effect.[br /]
[br /]
[b]THE FIRST ELECTRIC MOTOR[/b][br /]
[br /]
Hans Christian Oersted, in 1820, discovered the action of a voltaic current on a magnetic needle. He announced that the flow of an electric current through a wire produced a magnetic field around the wire. Immediately afterwards, André Marie Ampère succeeded in showing that the magnetic force apparently was a circular one, producing in effect a cylinder of magnetic effect around the wire. Till then, no such circular force had ever been observed. Faraday was the first to understand what it implied. He concentrated on the subject, read much about it and within a span of three months, he wrote a History of the Progress of Electromagnetism. It was published in Thomson’s Annals of Philosophy. Soon afterwards, he took up the subject of magnetic rotation. He worked and reached the conclusion that if a magnetic pole could be isolated; it would turn out to move constantly in a circle around a current – carrying wire. His ingenuity and skill enabled him to build up a device that confirmed his conclusion. The apparatus is known as the first electric motor, which transforms one form of energy to another, that is electrical energy gets converted to mechanical energy. It was the first Dynamo the world had ever seen.[br /]
[br /]
[b]MAGNETO–ELECTRICITY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s major breakthrough in electricity was the discovery of Electric Motor. Thereafter, he kept experimenting with the electric motor and made several models. Though his motors were not so advanced, his invention laid the very basis for all motors. This discovery also led Faraday to contemplate on the nature of electricity, the field in which he put in his very best. Contemporaries of Faraday believed that electricity was a material fluid, which flowed through wires like water through a pipe. Faraday did not agree with such a belief. According to him, it is a vibration or force that was somehow transmitted as a result of tensions created within the conductor. He began working with ways to generate electricity. He did a series of experiments with Charles Wheatstone, in the spring of 1831. He wound a thick iron ring on one side with insulated wire that was connected to a battery. The opposite side was wound with a wire that was connected to a galvanometer. He expected that a wave would be produced, when the battery circuit was closed. When he did so, the galvanometer needle jumped to his utter surprise. A current had been induced in the secondary coil by the primary. When he reopened the circuit, to his astonishment, the galvanometer again jumped but in the opposite direction. He concluded that turning off the current also created an induced current in the secondary circuit, equal and opposite to the original current. Faraday named this phenomenon as the electronic state, considered as a state of tension. In the fall of 1831, he tried to create a current by using a permanent magnet. He reached the conclusion that when a permanent magnet was moved in and out of a coil of wire, a current was induced in the coil. He knew that there were some forces that surround the magnets. Faraday saw the lines of magnetic force, thus revealed as lines of tension surrounding the magnet. He gave a new law determining the production of electric currents by magnets : The magnitude of the current was dependent upon the number of lines of the force cut by the conductor in unit time.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure B[/b][br /]
[br /]
His first paper on magneto-electric induction was read before the Royal Society on November 24, 1831. All the scientists acknowledged that Faraday had made one of his greatest discoveries earlier, on August 29, 1831 using his induction ring, the first known electric transformer. He defined the term Electro-magnetic induction as the induction or generation of electricity in a wire by means of the electro-magnetic effect of a current in another wire.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure C [/b][br /]
[br /]
The second research paper was presented before the Royal Society on January 12, 1832. It included the results of Faraday’s second series of experiments in September 1831; when he discovered electro-magnetic induction, to produce steady electric current. Faraday attached two wires through a sliding contact of a copper disc. By rotating the disc between the poles of a horseshoe magnet, he succeeded in obtaining a continuous direct current. This was another discovery of Faraday – the first electric generator.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure D[/b][br /]
[br /]
Later, a Frenchman, Hippolyte Pixii constructed an improved version of the electric generator. All the generators in power stations today, are based on Faraday’s two principal laws of electro-magnetic induction.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Figure E[/b][br /]
[br /]
As shown in the figure, the lines of magnetic force pass out of the North Pole of a magnet, and enter the South Pole. To produce induced currents in a coil it was only necessary to cut appropriately the lines of magnetic force. For the arrangement shown, the coil may be spun around its vertical axis or drawn back and forth across the end of the magnet.[br /]
[br /]
[b]ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY[/b][br /]
[br /]
Following the discovery of electro-magnetic induction, the biggest breakthrough in Electricity in the 1800s, Faraday investigated the phenomena of Electrolysis. Faraday established two laws of electro-chemistry.[br /]
[br /]
First Law : The amount of a substance deposited on each electrode of an electrolytic cell is directly proportional to the quantity of electricity passed through the cell.[br /]
[br /]
Second Law : The quantities of different elements deposited by a given amount of electricity are in the ratio of their chemical equivalent weights.[br /]
[br /]
Faraday’s work in electro-chemistry provided him with an essential clue for the investigation of static electrical induction. By 1839, he was able to bring forth a new and general Theory of Electrical Action. According to it, all electrical action is the result of forced strains in bodies.[br /]
[br /]
[b]DIAMAGNETISM[/b][br /]
[br /]
Due to poor health, Faraday kept away from active research between years 1839 and 45. Thereafter, he chose to devote his time on the phenomenon of magnetic field and induction. He received a letter from a junior scientist William Thomson. William wrote that he had studied Faraday’s papers on electricity and magnetism and was convinced that some kind of strain existed. He suggested Faraday to perform experiments with magnetic lines of force, as it could be more powerful than the electrostatic ones. Faraday was impressed by the suggestion and began new research. He passed a beam of plane polarized light through the optical glass of high refractive index, which he had discovered two decades ago. Then he turned on an electro-magnet to ensure the lines of force ran parallel to the rays of light. As a result, the plane of polarization was rotated, indicating a strain in the molecules of the glass. But as he changed the direction of light, the rotation remained in the same direction. Faraday soon interpreted that the strain was not in the molecules of the glass but in the magnetic lines of force. [br /]
[br /]
On further experimenting, he found to his surprise that some substances - like iron, cobalt, nickel and oxygen, lined up parallel to the lines of force, while others lined up perpendicular to the lines of force. Faraday named the first group paramagnetic and the second diamagnetic. It was a birth of new theory – Diamagnetism. According to it, paramagnetic bodies conduct magnetic lines of force better than the surrounding medium, whereas diamagnetic conduct them less well. This was the last major milestone achieved by Faraday in his long trek of scientific researches. His contribution was such that renowned scientist Maxwell later admitted that the basic ideas for his (Maxwell’s) mathematical theory of electrical and magnetic fields came from Faraday. Even his classical field equations were formed on the basis of Faraday’s researches, proving the worth of Faraday's efforts and works.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
• Facts are of great importance and therefore should be sought.[br /]
[br /]
• A center of excellence is, by definition, a place where second class people may perform first class work.[br /]
[br /]
• A truly popular lecture cannot teach and a lecture that truly teaches cannot be popular."[br /]
[br /]
• The lecturer should give the audience full reason to believe that all his powers have been exerted for their pleasure and instruction.[br /]
[br /]
• Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.[br /]
[br /]
• The less one theorizes the less one involves prejudices and controversies.[br /]
[br /]
• Our prejudices are what we must, at all times, take notice and strive to avoid their entanglements. The man who wishes to advance in understanding of nature should never fix such obstacles in his way.[br /]
[br /]
• I am more concerned that my ideas will be ignored than that they be examined, discussed, tested and found wanting of truth. For in such discussion and consideration of interpretation will come the speculation allowing the process to move forward, in pursuit of nature’s secrets.[br /]
[br /]
• My lectures, especially the Juvenile Lectures and Christmas Lectures from which I derived so much pleasure, are a legacy to the popularizing of science for future curious minds and those who shall guide them.[br /]
[br /]
• I do not feel that I possess anything extraordinary. If I do have the pleasure of a special talent it must certainly be perseverance."[br /]
[br /]
• For myself, I would hope to be remembered with respect for the ideas I have put forth not just for my ability as analyst; but to be viewed properly as a theoretician of chemical and physical phenomena of matter.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
• A center of excellence is, by definition, a place where second class people may perform first class work.[br /]
[br /]
• A truly popular lecture cannot teach and a lecture that truly teaches cannot be popular."[br /]
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• The lecturer should give the audience full reason to believe that all his powers have been exerted for their pleasure and instruction.[br /]
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• Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.[br /]
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• The less one theorizes the less one involves prejudices and controversies.[br /]
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• Our prejudices are what we must, at all times, take notice and strive to avoid their entanglements. The man who wishes to advance in understanding of nature should never fix such obstacles in his way.[br /]
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• I am more concerned that my ideas will be ignored than that they be examined, discussed, tested and found wanting of truth. For in such discussion and consideration of interpretation will come the speculation allowing the process to move forward, in pursuit of nature’s secrets.[br /]
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• My lectures, especially the Juvenile Lectures and Christmas Lectures from which I derived so much pleasure, are a legacy to the popularizing of science for future curious minds and those who shall guide them.[br /]
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• I do not feel that I possess anything extraordinary. If I do have the pleasure of a special talent it must certainly be perseverance."[br /]
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• For myself, I would hope to be remembered with respect for the ideas I have put forth not just for my ability as analyst; but to be viewed properly as a theoretician of chemical and physical phenomena of matter.[br /]
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