MVP ARCHIVE PEOPLE | Michael Faraday - The experimental scientist who kept his eyes on phenomena and opened the door to the electric civilization
Michael Faraday - The experimental scientist who kept his eyes on phenomena and opened the door to the electric civilization
Rather than books, experiments were his teachers.
Born in London, England in 1791, Michael Faraday did not come from a wealthy family. In his youth, he worked as an apprentice bookbinder, and through his work binding books, he continued to read scientific texts.
Through this, he deepened his interest in natural science and acquired knowledge by repeating experiments himself.
Eventually, he attended lectures by the renowned chemist Humphry Davy, and after his carefully compiled notes on the content were recognized, he gained the opportunity to work as an assistant at the Royal Institution.
From here, research that would change the world began.
Continuing to pursue the relationship between electricity and magnetism
At the beginning of the 19th century, electricity and magnetism were considered separate phenomena.
Faraday believed there might be some deep connection between them and conducted many experiments.
In 1821, he demonstrated the phenomenon of a conductor rotating due to an electric current, succeeding in an experiment that led to the principle of the electric motor, and in 1831, he arrived at an even greater discovery.
When a magnet is moved, the change in the magnetic field creates an electric current, which causes current to flow to a nearby coil.
This phenomenon was later called electromagnetic induction, and it became the foundation for modern generators and transformers.
A new way of thinking called "Lines of Force"
Faraday expressed the idea that invisible forces spread around a magnet as "Lines of Force."
At the time, this idea was not fully understood, but it was later systematized through mathematics by James Clerk Maxwell and developed into the fundamental theory of electromagnetism.
The reason the concept of an electromagnetic field is used naturally today is due to Faraday's intuitive ideas.
Discoveries inherited by modern society
Most current thermal power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, and wind power generation produce electricity using generators that convert rotational motion into electricity.
The basic principle is electromagnetic induction, which Faraday revealed through his experiments in 1831.
Furthermore, his discoveries have been passed down to numerous technologies that support modern society, such as motors, transformers, power transmission equipment, and industrial machinery.
Even as energy sources change, the principle of electromagnetic induction remains at the heart of the electric civilization.
Archive Point
Michael Faraday is the scientist who clarified the relationship between electricity and magnetism through experiments and discovered electromagnetic induction.
Having gone from a bookbinder to a researcher, he pioneered the fundamental principles of generators and motors through excellent observation and persistent experimentation.
From modern power plants to household electrical appliances, much of the electricity we use is built upon the physical phenomena that Faraday discovered.
