Michael Faraday

 

Michael Faraday, The Father of Electricity

Michael Faraday (born Sept. 22, 1791) was a British physicist and chemist who is best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and the laws of electrolysis. His biggest breakthrough in electricity was his invention of the electric motor.

Michael Faraday was born in Newington, south London, on September 22, 1791, two years after the French Revolution. He was an autodidact who managed to create great advances for the field of electricity and electromagnetism.

In 1824 he entered the Royal Society and the following year was appointed director of the laboratory of the royal institution. By 1833 he was a professor of chemistry at the same institution.

He discovered two new carbon chlorides in addition to benzene. Researching new varieties of optical glass, he conducted a series of experiments liquefying common gases.

In 1821 he traced the magnetic field around a conductor through which an electric current flows. In 1831, Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction, the principle behind electrical generation and transformation. This discovery was crucial in transforming electricity into a powerful new technology.  Over the next decade, he worked on developing his ideas about electricity. He was particularly responsible for coining many familiar words, including electrode, anode, cathode, and ion, in addition to the oxidation number system. Faraday's scientific knowledge was put to practical use through various official appointments, including scientific adviser to Trinity House (1836–1865) and professor of chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich (1830–1851), the first to obtain this distinction.

HONOURS RECEIVED

1. The unit of electrical capacity in capacitors or electrical capacitors is named Faraday in his honor.
2. Order of Merit of Sciences and Arts.
3. Fellow of the Royal Society. 
4. Royal Medal.
5. Copley Medal (1832 – 1838)
6. Rumford Medal (1846)
7. Albert Medal (1966)
8. Since 1935 the lunar crater "Faraday" bears this name in his memory.

FUN FACT

From a work by Isaac Watts entitled "The Improvement of the Mind", read at the age of fourteen, Michael Faraday acquired these six constant principles of his scientific discipline:

• Always carry a small pad with you in order to take notes at any time.
• Maintain abundant correspondence.
• Have collaborators in order to exchange ideas.
• Avoid controversies.
• Verify everything that is said.
• Do not generalize rashly, speak and write as accurately as possible.

INTERESTING FACT

FARADAY'S CAGE

In his work on static electricity, he showed that electric charge accumulates only on the outside of a charged conductor, no matter what was inside. This is because the charges are distributed on the outer surface in such a way that the internal electric fields cancel out. This barrier effect is known as Faraday's cage. This phenomenon, discovered by Michael Faraday, has an important application in airplanes or in the protection of sensitive electronic equipment, such as hard drives or repeaters used in radio and television located on mountain peaks and exposed to electromagnetic disturbances caused by storms. In our daily lives, they are provided with a Faraday cage: microwaves, scanners, and cables, among others. Other devices, without being provided with a Faraday cage act as such: elevators, cars, airplanes, etc. 

For this reason, it is recommended to stay inside the car during a thunderstorm: its metal body acts as a Faraday cage.

He died on August 25, 1867, in  Hampton Court, Molesey, United Kingdom.