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Faraday’s Law of Induction
Michael Faraday discovered the law of induction in 1831 out of his experiments with the magnets (Krey and Anthony 153). That law of electromagnetic induction states that an electric current produces a magnetic field while a change in the magnetic field produces an electric current through a conductor. Faraday conducted several experiments to come up with a reliable conclusion that was widely rejected by most scientists since the discovery did not have a mathematical fact (Newman 453). However, the theory would later be adopted and used in various modern ways to produce electromagnetic current. The paper will discuss the history of Faraday’s law of induction and its importance to the society in the contemporary society.
The first experiment that Faraday did on electromagnetic induction was on 29th August 1831 where he wrapped two wires on the opposite sides of an iron ring (Krey and Anthony 153). He had a basic knowledge of the magnet and knew that a magnet has two poles which are the North Pole and the South Pole (Newman 453). Having studied the properties of magnets, he presumed that he is likely to discover some magnetic effect from the wire on one end of the other wire. He introduced a battery on one end and on placing the galvanometer on the opposite end; he discovered that there was some transient current. Faraday spent significant time carrying out experiments to see the transient currents. He would slide a bar magnet within a wire and realized the current caused by the magnetic flux (Krey and Anthony 153). He also generated steady current when he rotated a copper disc near a magnet containing a sliding electrical current.
Before the discovery by Michael Faraday, the world had not known of the use of transient current. As a result, there was no use of electric motors. Therefore, things like transformers were not applied as there was no guiding principle that could lead to the utilization of electromagnetic current. As a result, there was not application of transient current to power industries and machines at the time. To solve these problems, Faraday carried out many experiments to affirm his discoveries and put the solution into writing. All these experiments were geared towards proving that his discovery was scientific and that the theory was a fact. However, his development came at a moment when scientific facts had to be supported by a mathematical fact. Therefore, it was highly rejected, and only one individual by the name Maxwell sought to put Faraday’s discovery into a precise point, though with variance in the original concept (Chow 171).
The discovery by Michael Faraday changed the society by opening the use of electromagnetic current. The electromagnetic induction was adopted widely in the production of the electromagnetic current. It is currently used in transformers, inductors, electrical motors, solenoids as well as the generators. It is employed in the generation of the electric current. The transformers transfer the electric current from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling and in some cases step up the current as well as stepping it down. The generators also change the chemical energy to the electric energy and in some cases it is concurrent with other sources of electricity where they function as a substitute. The electric automobiles also use the electromagnetic induction in the generation of power.
Faraday’s law of induction further led to the understanding of the properties of the magnets, which translated to the use of transient current. Faraday’s invention further improved the works of other scientists. Clerk Maxwell’s equations of the theory supported Faraday’s theory and enhanced the application of the concept (Chow 171). The fact was later adopted in producing the electromagnetic current used in the transformers, electric motors, generators, solenoids as well as the inductors. What started as a mere discovery later became part of the contemporary world.
Works Cited
Newman, Jay. Physics of the Life Sciences. New York: Springer, 2008. Print
Krey, Uwe, and Anthony Owen. Basic Theoretical Physics: A Concise Overview. Berlin: Springer, 2009. Print
Chow, Tai L. An Introduction to Electromagnetic Theory: A Modern Perspective. Boston: Jones and Bartlett, 2008. Print