Electric Generator Juman Haffar

Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday was born on 22 September 1791 and died in 25 August 1867. He was an English scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include those of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis. Faraday’s family was not well off. He received only a basic formal education. When he was 14, he got a job in a bookstore, and spent all of his time reading books. In 1813, Faraday got the job of the chemical assistant at the Royal Institution. In 1831, Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction, the principle behind the electric transformer and generator. This discovery was crucial in allowing electricity to be transformed from a curiosity into a powerful new technology. During the remainder of the decade he worked on developing his ideas about electricity. He was partly responsible for coining many familiar words including 'electrode', 'cathode' and 'ion'. Faraday's scientific knowledge was harnessed for practical use through various official appointments, including scientific adviser to Trinity House (1836-1865) and Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich (1830-1851). However, in the early 1840s, Faraday's health began to deteriorate and he did less research. He died on 25 August 1867 at Hampton Court, where he had been given official lodgings in recognition of his contribution to science. He gave his name to the 'farad', originally describing a unit of electrical charge but later a unit of electrical capacitance.
Construction
The electric generator consists of a tube of neutral material wound with a coil of wire, insulated in cotton, and a bar magnet. Faraday connected his apparatus to a galvanometer (an instrument that detects electrical current) and discovered that when he passed the magnet back and forth through the coil of wire, which remained stationary, the needle of the galvanometer leapt into action registering a current flowing. As the magnet moves the lines of magnetic force repeatedly intersect with the wire exciting the electrons in the wire and generating electrical current. So if you exchanged the galvanometer with a light bulb today you would see it light up.
Function
An electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy obtained from an external source into electrical energy as the output. It is important to understand that a generator does not actually 'create' electrical energy. Instead, it uses the mechanical energy supplied to it to force the movement of electric charges present in the wire of its windings through an external electric circuit.

Benefits

The electric generator developed by Faraday provided the basis for many scientists to develop the modern one that we use today. Nowadays we use electric generators to operate motor vehicles, bicycles and sailboats.

Acknowledgement

Scientists and physicists applaud Faraday on his revolutionary work. James Clerk Maxwell took the work of Faraday and others, and summarized it in a set of equations that is accepted as the basis of all modern theories of electromagnetic phenomena. Albert Einstein kept a picture of Faraday on his study wall, alongside pictures of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell. Physicist Ernest Rutherford stated; "When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no honour too great to pay to the memory of Faraday, one of the greatest scientific discoverers of all time”.

In summation, Michael Faraday innovative physicist who forever changed the world of mechanics with the invention of the electric generator.