Michael Faraday

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About Michael Faraday

Born on September 22, 1791, in Newington Butts, England, Michael Faraday was one of the most influential scientists in history. He passed away on August 25, 1867, in Hampton Court, England.

Faraday was the son of a blacksmith and received only a basic formal education. However, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge were insatiable. He married Sarah Barnard in 1821 and though they had no children, their marriage was a happy one. Faraday lived most of his life in London, where he carried out the bulk of his work at the Royal Institution. He also died in London.

Despite his limited formal education, Faraday was inspired by the book "Conversations on Chemistry" by Jane Marcet and a series of lectures by the eminent chemist Humphry Davy, which sparked his interest in science and particularly in electricity. His tenacity and dedication eventually led to his appointment at the Royal Institution, where he spent his career conducting the experiments that made him famous.

Michael Faraday's Discoveries

Faraday made seminal contributions to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His most famous discovery is electromagnetic induction, the principle behind the electric transformer and generator. This discovery has enormous practical implications and forms the basis of many modern technologies, including electric power generation and the electric motor.

Faraday also discovered that magnetism could affect rays of light, and he identified the existence of diamagnetism. Additionally, his work in electrochemistry led to the naming of concepts such as anode, cathode, electrode, and ion.

Michael Faraday's Key Achievements

Faraday's key achievements include the invention of the electric motor, the transformer, and the generator. He was also the first to produce an electric current from a magnetic field, demonstrated the concept of field lines, and discovered the laws of electrolysis. His experiments and theories helped shape the understanding of electromagnetic fields.

Michael Faraday's Formulas

One of Faraday's most critical contributions was Faraday's Law of Induction, which predicts how a magnetic field will interact with an electric circuit to produce an electromotive force (EMF). It is a fundamental principle used in many electrical appliances and is crucial in understanding how electromagnetic fields work.

The law is usually given as:

EMF = - dΦ/dt

Where:

EMF: The electromotive force in volts.
Φ: The magnetic flux through the circuit in webers.
dΦ/dt: The rate of change of flux with respect to time.

Michael Faraday Tutorials and Calculators

The following tutorials and calculators are influenced by the work the great physicist Michael Faraday, each calculator contains a tutorial that explains Michael Faraday in the field