On Christmas morning in 1821, Michael Faraday had an unusual present for his wife.
He led her to his laboratory, where he presented her with one of his experiments, but she had no idea what it was.
There was a small container of mercury with a magnet attached to it. A copper rod was placed above the magnet, with one end stuck in a cork that floated on the mercury.
Finally, a battery was connected to the upper end of the copper rod and to the mercury.
When the battery was connected and the circuit was complete, the copper rod started revolving above the magnet.
It was the first electric motor, but inventors did not start making electric toys yet.
Electricity was too expensive, Faraday hadn’t invented an easy way of producing it yet.
That would come 10 years later, with his research on induction.
Related Posts
-
Who Was Michael Faraday and Why Is Michael Faraday One of the Most Influential Scientists In History?
Michael Faraday was born in 1791 in Newington, near London, England. His father was a blacksmith and the family was very poor. There were times when the young Faraday had only bread to…
-
When Did Michael Faraday Discover Electromagnetic Induction Which Led To the Invention of the Electric Dynamo?
In 1820, the Danish scientist Hans Christian Orsted was conducting an experiment with an electrical circuit. He noticed that when he turned the circuit on and off, a nearby compass needle jumped. He…
-
How Did Michael Faraday Discover Electromagnetic Induction Which Converts Magnetism To Electricity?
The experiment Michael Faraday devised in 1831 to bring about the conversion of magnetism to electricity, also known as electromagnetic induction, sounds very simple. In time, it led to the huge generators used…
-
Which Theory of Michael Faraday’s Was So Advanced That It Influenced Physicists Like Albert Einstein?
One simple experiment students often conduct is to place two magnets on a table with opposite poles facing each other but not touching. A piece of paper is placed on top of the…
-
How Were Michael Faraday’s Ideas On Magnetism Influenced By English Scientist William Gilbert?
The beginnings of Michael Faraday's ideas about magnetism started over 200 years before in a book titled Of Magnets by English scientist William Gilbert. It was published in 1600 and was probably the…
-
How Did James Clerk Maxwell Turn Michael Faraday’s Field Theory Into a Map of the Universe?
Michael Faraday studied the lines that iron filings formed by magnets and saw lines of force spreading across the universe. He thought other forces, like gravity, electricity, and even light, all acted with…
