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Chemist Humphry Davy

Born on September 27,1791, British physicist and chemist, Michael Faraday was considered the greatest experimentalist as he made discoveries in electromagnetic induction and laws of electrolysis. Faraday born into a poor family, and had a primary education. As a young teenager, Faraday left home to work as an apprentice for a bookbinder in London. Since Faraday was a curious person, and had a need to know personality, he read every book that he bound. There he became interested in physical and chemical works of time. He especially grew an interest for force, a concept of energy. With this interest he would listen to lectures by the famous chemist, Humphry Davy. Faraday sent notes, which he had taken on Davy’s lectures, to Davy, and later, at age 21, became an assistant to Davy in the Laboratory of the Royal Institution in London.

By moving a magnet through a coil of copper an electric current is made, and this led to the development of the first generator.

Faraday’s research into electricity and electrolysis was led by the belief that electrolysis was one of the many aspects of the forces of nature. This idea led him into the field of electromagnetism. Faraday’s ideas of conservation of energy led him to believe that a magnetic field should be able to produce an electric current. Faraday built two devices to produce electromagnetic rotation, which is a continuous circular motion from the circular magnetic force around a wire. Later in 1831, Faraday invented the “induction ring” which made a great discovery in electromagnetic induction. The ring was the first transformer by generating electricity in a wire by means of electromagnetic effect of a current in another wire. The principle of induction opened the doors to applied science; it also made the generator possible. The generator was later invented by the discovery in magneto-electric induction, a production of a steady electric current. Faraday attached two wires through a sliding contact to a copper disc. The disc rotated between poles of a horseshoe magnet and he then obtained a continuous direct current. From these experiments also came the modern electric motor.

      Many European physicists rejected Faraday’s line of force. Those physicist believed electric charges attracted and repelled each other by action at a distance not by lines, thus making Faraday’s concept unnecessary. However, Faraday proved the physicist wrong by demonstrating a series of events to prove the phenomenon of electromagnetism. Physicist James Clerk Maxwell accepted Faraday’s ideas of lines of force and put them in mathematical terms, which later gave way to the modern field theory.
 
 
 

Faraday's Laws a change in magnetic field induces an electromagnetic force in a conductor . electromagnetic force is proportional to the rate of change of the field . the direction of the induced electromagnetic force depends on the orientation of the field of electrolysis. the amount of chemical change during electrolysis is proportional to the charge passing through the liquid . the amount of chemical change produced in a substance by a given amount of electricity is proportional to the electrochemical equivalent of that substance..

Continuing his electrical experiments in 1832, Faraday proved that electricity produced by a magnet, voltaic electricity created by a battery, and static electricity were all producing the same types of electricity. Faraday also laid the basis of electrochemistry by stating the first and second laws of electrolysis, and these laws later became known as Faraday’s laws of electrolysis.

         In 1845, Faraday discovered that an intense magnetic field can rotate a plane of polarized light which was later called the Faraday Effect. This effect was used to elucidate molecule structure and slowed information on galactic magnetic fields.
 
 
 

Faraday’s numerous experiments in electricity and electromagnetism were put together in three volumes in the years 1839, 1844, and 1855, which was titled Experimental Researches in Electricity. Faraday’s chemical work was released in Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics in 1858. In 1855, Faraday had stopped research because of his lose in mental capabilities; however, he became a lecturer until 1861. Faraday later died in 1867 on August 25.

Quotes by Michael Faraday: "The lecturer should give the audience full reason to believe that all his powers have been exerted for their pleasure and instruction." "The World little knows how many thoughts and theories which have passed through the mind of a scientific investigator and have been crushed in silence and secrecy of his own criticism." "Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature." "I am busy just now again on electro-magnetism, and think I have got hold of a good thing, but can't say. It may be a weed instead of a fish that, after all my labor, I may at last pull up." "The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly."

Did you know.... To honor Faraday his portrait appeared on the British £20 note. A unit of electricity was named after Michael Faraday. The "farad" measures capacitance, an amount of electrical charge. By proving that vibrations of metal could be converted to electrical impulses, Faraday set the basis of the telephone.

Links:

The Royal Instition of Great Britain: http://www.rigb.org/index.html

Want to know more about other physicists and astronomer? http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/index.html

Quotes used: http://www.creativequotations.com/one/907.htm

Information:

http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xfaraday.html

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfaraday.htm