Electromagnetism is considered as one of the cornerstones of modern physics. A phenomenon that considers the interaction of electric currents or fields and magnetic fields, one of the earliest contributors to this field was Michael Faraday. An English physicist and chemist, Faraday’s many experiments greatly contributed towards the better understanding of electromagnetism.
Humble beginnings
For someone who went on to achieve great things in science, Faraday had the humblest of beginnings. Born on September 22, 1791 in London, Faraday was the third child of a family that was struggling to make ends meet. In fact, by his own admission, there were times when he had to ration a loaf of bread as his only food for an entire week.
Belonging to such a family, education certainly was a luxury. Faraday attended a common-day school, learning the barest minimum of reading, writing and arithmetic. By the time he was 13, he had started working in order to support his family.
Self-taught scientist
Having run some errands for George Ribeau, a bookseller and stationer, Faraday apprenticed as a bookbinder with him from 1805. During this apprenticeship, which lasted for seven years, Faraday not only learnt the art of bookbinding, but also began educating himself in science. He particularly enjoyed chemistry and spent after hours reading the books that he bound in the shop.
By 1810, Faraday began attending lectures in science and participated in debates. And in 1812, he got tickets to a lecture by Humphry Davy, a renowned chemist, at the Royal Institute. Thoroughly impressed with what he was hearing, Faraday made copious notes of the lecture and provided it with immaculate drawings for good measure.
An opportunity from nowhere
Faraday presented a copy of these to Davy himself with a request to help him establish a career in science. As Davy had no position at the Royal Institute available to offer him, Faraday took employment as a bookbinder.
An opportunity, however, presented itself when a lab assistant at the institute was dismissed. Davy suggested Faraday for this position that was now available, and in 1813 Faraday set out as a laboratory assistant at the Royal Institute.
Faraday accompanied Davy and his wife as they toured continental Europe. While continuing to be enthralled by Davy’s lectures, this tour also afforded Faraday a chance to pick some of the finest brains of the generation. He met physicists Andre-Marie Ampere in Paris and Alessandro Volta in Milan. It was the ideal springboard for Faraday, as he went about immersing himself in science.
Begins career in science
On returning to London in 1815, curious and inspired, Faraday set about performing experiments in one of the best-equipped laboratories of the world. And following years of dabbling with chemical experiments, Faraday switched to electromagnetism, a field in its nascent stages, in 1821. On September 3 that same year, Faraday discovered electro-magnetic rotations, the governing principle behind the electric motor.
He returned to chemistry in the following decade and achieved the liquefaction of chlorine in 1823 and discovered benzene in 1825. He also worked extensively in the production of optical glass, which would eventually aid him in his discovery of diamagnetism.
Sets up lecture series
Faraday also set up two lecture series in these years: the Friday Evening Discourses for Royal Institute members and the Christmas Lectures for children. He went on to deliver more than 140 lectures in these two series, both of which continue even today.
By demonstrating that a magnet could induce an electric current in a wire using an iron ring with two coils of insulated wire, Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831. He worked on electrochemistry with William Whewell in the following years, inventing its nomenclature by coining now-familiar words such as electrode, electrolyte and ion.
The Faraday effect
On September 13, 1845, Faraday discovered the magneto-optical effect or the Faraday effect by passing polarised light through a piece of glass placed on the poles of an electromagnet. By observing that turning on the electromagnet changed the light’s polarisation, Faraday had, for the first time, provided experimental evidence that light and electromagnetism are related.
And then, on November 4, Faraday discovered (and later coined the term) diamagnetism by hanging a piece of heavy glass between the poles of an electromagnet. He noticed that the glass aligned itself at right angles with the lines of force of the magnet – a result he also obtained when repeating the experiments with other substances.
The basis for expansion
Faraday realised that magnetism was inherent within matter and he went on to establish the field theory of electromagnetism. When this theory was extended mathematically by William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) and more importantly, by James Clerk Maxwell, it turned out to be one of the most important phenomenon of modern physics.
Faraday’s health started deteriorating through the 1850s and the early 60s. He did continue doing some research now and then, but they were nowhere in comparison with how he usually worked.
He died on August 25, 1867, leaving behind a legacy in science.
Published - November 06, 2017 11:41 am IST
