Michael Faraday (1791 – 1867) was a British chemist and physicist. Coming from a poor family, he received little formal education, yet his diligence and thirst for knowledge led him to achieve significant accomplishments in scientific research. His most important achievement in chemistry was the discovery of benzene (C6H6). In the field of electromagnetism, his greatest contribution was the ability to generate electric current in a magnetic field using a permanent magnet, laying the groundwork for the development of electric motors, which has timeless significance for humanity’s utilization of electrical energy. His highest achievement was the formulation of the Law of Electromagnetic Induction, marking humanity’s transition from the steam age to the electrical age.
A Small Laboratory
Our lives are intertwined with electricity; electric lights, televisions, and telephones all rely on it. Electricity brings light and convenience to humanity. Who was the first to create the electric generator? It was the great British scientist—Michael Faraday.
As a child from a poor family, with a father who was a blacksmith and four younger siblings, Faraday did not receive a proper education. At the age of 13, to help his family, he took a job as an errand boy at a bookbinding shop in London, mainly delivering books and newspapers. He would carry stacks of newspapers on his shoulder while navigating the streets of London. Being clever, intelligent, and polite, he impressed the shop owner, who then took him on as an apprentice. Faraday was thrilled, as this meant he would have the opportunity to spend all day with books and could learn many things.
Faraday lived in the attic of the bookshop, where he could read many fascinating books daily, such as “One Thousand and One Nights.” The stories captivated him. The shop owner was very kind and often encouraged Faraday to read.
One day, Faraday came across a book titled “Chemical Dialogues.” The book introduced a wealth of interesting chemical knowledge, including many small experiments. Intrigued by these peculiar experiments, he wanted to try them for himself to see if what the book described was true. Thus, Faraday transformed his attic into a small laboratory. He needed some jars and glassware but had no money to buy them, so he collected discarded glass bottles from pharmacies and scavenged small pieces of copper and zinc from the refuse at factories. Each day, Faraday diligently worked in his “domain,” and conducting experiments became the most exciting activity in his life.
In the book “Chemical Dialogues,” it stated that dropping a piece of zinc into hydrochloric acid would produce a flammable gas. Faraday followed the instructions, and indeed, a gas that ignited with a blue flame was produced; this flammable gas was hydrogen. One book mentioned wrapping a layer of tin foil around a glass bottle, which would discharge electricity after being charged. To conduct this experiment, Faraday spent 6 pence to buy a large glass bottle and 7 pence for tin foil.
He filled the bottle with water and inserted a metal rod, creating a simple electrode. He charged the bottle with electricity and then carefully connected the metal rod submerged in the bottle to the tin foil using a small copper wire. When the copper wire approached the metal rod, a spark flashed, accompanied by a popping sound of “zap, zap,” signifying a discharge of electricity! Faraday was overjoyed and gradually became addicted to experimenting.
Faraday’s experiments caught the attention of the shop owners. The owner found Faraday’s behavior peculiar; he would rush out to the streets whenever he had even a small amount of change. The owner’s wife noticed that the salt in their kitchen ran out very quickly; typically, their small salt container would last a long time, but recently it would be empty in just two days. She was puzzled—what could be happening? Later, she discovered that Faraday had been using the salt for his experiments.
Each night, the attic was filled with the buzzing sound of “crackle,” and strange lights flickered; once, smoke even billowed from the window. The owner’s wife was quite curious but still had no idea what Faraday was doing. People around them began to say that this child had a nervous disorder, unable to sleep even at midnight.
The bookshop owner was very understanding; he never scolded Faraday, knowing that this child was diligent and eager to learn, and would surely have a bright future. Thus, in his small kingdom, Faraday found knowledge and excitement in experimentation, stepping into the realm of science.
“I cannot say that I do not value these honors; moreover, I acknowledge that they are of great worth; however, I have never worked with the aim of achieving such honors.”
— Faraday —
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Stay tuned for: “Michael Faraday – The Free Bird“
