Michael Faraday: A British Physicist and Chemist

1. Michael Faraday: A British Physicist and Chemist By: Ricky Meriwether

2. Early Life • Michael Faraday was born September 22, 1791 in Newington Butts, England. • Michael’s father was a bookbinder, and with such contact to books Michael fell in love with reading. • As he read many books, The Improvement of the Mind by Isaac Watts and Conversations on Chemistry by Jane Marcet helped him gain interest in science, especially electricity.

3. Introduction To The Sciences • At age 20, Faraday’s apprenticeship ended and he began attending lectures of prominent chemists Humphry Davy and John Tatum. • After, Faraday sent a three hundred page book based on the notes he’d taken on the lectures to Humphry Davy. • Humphry was very impressed with Faraday’s work.

4. Introduction To The Sciences • When Humphry Davy damaged his eyesight in a nitrogen trichloride accident, he hired Michael as his secretary. • Under the wing of Davy, Faraday studied chlorine where he discovered two new compounds of the chlorine and of carbon. • Faraday also succeeded in liquefying many gases, as well as creating one of the earliest forms of the Bunsen burner.

5. First Experiment • His first recorded experiment was the construction of a voltaic pipe, with which he decomposed magnesia sulfate. • After Hans Christian Ørsted discovered electromagnetism, William Wollaston and Humphry Davy began trying to construct an electric motor, but failed. • Faraday explained their problems with them, and he went on to invent two devices that produced electromagnetic rotation.

6. Controversy • Faraday, amazed at his work published his work without telling the likes of his predecessors. • The Royal Society took note of this and strained his relationship with the two men. • This caused Faraday to walk away from his electromagnetic research for several years.

7. Optics Work • During the next seven years, Faraday spent his time perfecting optical quality in which he used later for and experiment linking light and magnetism. • He also continued publishing all of his works and communicated it with other scientists.

8. An Unlikely Turnabout • After Faraday’s mentor, Humphry Davy died, Faraday began constructing a series of his greatest experiments. • In 1831, Faraday discovered something called electromagnetic induction.

9. Mutual Induction • The diagram to the left, the ring conducts electricity in one coil and at the same time, a momentary current is induced in the other coil. • This phenomenon is known as mutual induction

10. Diamagnetism • In 1845, Faraday discovered diamagnetism • Faraday found that the polarization of linearly polarized light can be rotated by the application of an external magnetic field aligned in the direction the light is moving. • In today’s society, this is called the Faraday effect.

11. Other Accomplishments • Michael Faraday was the first professor at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. • He also began constructing light houses and other things to prevent the bottoms of boats from being corroded. • Faraday continued publishing, and at the Royal Institution he published a series of his lectures which are now titled The Chemical History of a Candle.

12. Life After Science • In 1832, the University of Oxford offered Faraday a honorary civil law degree. • In 1848, Faraday was awarded a house free of charge or upkeep. • In 1858, he retired to go live there. • Michael Faraday died on August 25,1867 at the age of 75. • In his memory, there is the Faraday school, a statue of him that stands in Savoy Place London, and finally the Michael Faraday Memorial near his birthplace.

13. References • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday • http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SCfaraday.htm • http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/faraday_michael.shtml