When we talk about magnetic fields, electricity, or electromagnets in modern applications, there’s one name we owe a lot of credit to: Michael Faraday.

He wasn’t a wealthy academic or a university-trained scholar. In fact, Faraday started his career as a bookbinder’s apprentice. But what he lacked in formal education, he more than made up for in curiosity, tenacity, and hands-on experimentation. His work in the 1800s laid the foundation for much of what we know today about electromagnetism, and it continues to influence the way we use magnets in everything from power tools to particle accelerators.

So, who was Michael Faraday, and why does he matter?

From Bookbinding to Breakthroughs

Born in 1791 in London, Faraday grew up in a modest household. His formal schooling ended when he was a young boy, but his appetite for learning never stopped. While working in a bookshop, he taught himself the basics of chemistry, physics, and electricity by reading the very books he was binding.

That spark led him to attend a series of public lectures by famed chemist Humphry Davy. Faraday took meticulous notes, later bound them into a personal book, and boldly sent them to Davy, along with a request to work in his lab. The risk paid off. Faraday became Davy’s assistant and, eventually, a leading scientist in his own right.

The Birth of Electromagnetic Induction

In 1831, Faraday conducted a now-famous experiment that changed science forever.

He wrapped two coils of insulated wire around opposite sides of an iron ring. When he passed an electric current through one coil, he observed a momentary current in the other coil. He had discovered electromagnetic induction: the principle that a changing magnetic field can produce electricity in a nearby conductor.

This was the basis for electric transformers and generators—devices that are still used today to power homes, hospitals, and factories.

Faraday’s name is also tied to:

  • Faraday’s Law of Induction mathematically describes how voltage is induced by changing magnetic fields.

  • The Faraday Cage, which blocks electromagnetic fields, is a concept still used to protect electronics from interference.

  • The Faraday Effect, showing that magnetism can influence light, helped lay the groundwork for modern electromagnetism and quantum physics.

And yet, Faraday himself never used math to express his ideas formally. Instead, he relied on intuition, experimentation, and vivid mental models (like the now-familiar "lines of force") to explain complex concepts.

Why Faraday Still Matters

Michael Faraday wasn’t just a scientist—he was a public educator. He gave hundreds of popular science lectures (including for children) and insisted that scientific knowledge should be accessible to all. His legacy lives on in every magnetic coil, electric motor, and generator. In short: if your car starts, your phone charges, or your blender spins, you’ve got Faraday to thank.

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At Apex Magnets, we work with powerful neodymium magnets and precision magnetic components every day, and we’re constantly inspired by the pioneers who made it all possible.

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