Michael Faraday By Thomas Clarke

Background Info Was born on September 22nd, 1791 in Newington Butts, England. He died on August 25th, 1867, at age 75. Was an English chemist/physicist He contributed to the fields of electromagnetism.

Interesting Facts Faraday studied the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a DC electric current. While doing this, Faraday established the basic concept for electromagnetism in physics. He discovered electromagnetic induction, diamagnetissm, and laws of electrolysis.

Interesting Facts His inventionns of electromagnetic rotary devicees formed the foundation of electric motor technology. He was a big reason that electricity became used normally in society. He knew little of higher mathematics like calculus, but he was one of the most influential scientists in history.

Early Life Faraday was born in Newington Butts, now part of the London Borough of Southwark James Faraday moved his wife and two children to London during the winter of 1790. Had only the most basic of school educations, had to largely educate himself.

Early Life At fourteen he became apprenticed to a local bookbinder and bookseller. At the age of twenty, Faraday attended lectures by the eminent English chemist Humphry Davy of the Royal Institution Faraday married Sarah Barnard (1800–1879) on 12 June 1821.

Scientific Acheivements Made the first rough experiments on the diffusion of gases, a phenomenon first pointed out by John Dalton. He succeeded in liquefying several gases. Produced several new kinds of glass intended for optical purposes.

Scientific Achievements He invented an early form of what was to become the Bunsen burner. Faraday also discovered the laws of electrolysis and popularised terminology such as anode, cathode, electrode, and ion. Faraday was the first to report what later came to be called metallic nanoparticles.

Magnetism & Electricity Faraday is best known for his work with electricity and magnetism. He went on to build two devices to produce what he called electromagnetic rotation. One showed a continuous circular motion from the circular magnetic force around a wire and a wire extending into a pool of mercury with a magnet placed inside.

Magnetism & Electricity Faraday's breakthrough came when he wrapped two insulated coils of wire around an iron ring. He found that, upon passing a current through one coil, a momentary current was induced in the other coil. It was called mutual induction.

Magnetism & electricity In 1839, he completed a series of experiments aimed at investigating the fundamental nature of electricity. Faraday used "static", batteries, and "anima electricity" to produce the phenomena of electrostatic attraction, electrolysis, magnetism, etc. He concluded that, contrary to scientific opinion of the time, the divisions between the various "kinds" of electricity were illusory.

About Diamagnetism In 1845, Faraday discovered that many materials exhibit a weak repulsion from a magnetic field, a phenomenon he named diamagnetism. Later in life , Faraday used a spectroscope to search for a different alteration of light, the change of spectral lines by an applied magnetic field. Pieter Zeeman later used an improved one to study the same phenomenon, publishing his results in 1897 and receiving the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics.

His Later Life In June 1832, the University of Oxford granted Faraday a Doctor of Civil Law degree . During his lifetime, Faraday rejected a knighthood and twice refused to become President of the Royal Society. Faraday was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1838

His Later Life Faraday also refused to become President of the Royal Society. Faraday was awarded a grace and favour house in Hampton Court in Middlesex, free of all expenses or upkeep. In 1858 Faraday retired to live there.

The End of his Life Faraday died at his house at Hampton Court on 25 August 1867, at age 75. He has a memorial plaque there, near Isaac Newton's tomb.