View source for Michael Faraday

{{Short description|English chemist and physicist (1791–1867)}}
{{Redirect|Faraday}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}<!-- NOTE This article uses British English spelling -->
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Michael Faraday
| honorific_suffix  = {{Post-nominals|FRS|size=100%}}
| image             = Michael Faraday sitting crop.jpg
| caption           = Faraday, {{Circa|1850s}}
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1791|09|22|df=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Newington Butts]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1867|08|25|1791|09|22|df=yes}}
| death_place       = [[Hampton, London|Hampton]], [[Middlesex]], England
| resting_place     = [[Highgate Cemetery]], London
| known_for         = {{Plain list|
* Inventing the [[homopolar motor]] (1821)
* Discovering [[benzene]] (1825)
* Discovering [[electromagnetic induction]] (1831)
* [[Faraday's laws of electrolysis]] (1833)
* [[Faraday's ice pail experiment]] (1843)
* [[Faraday effect]] (1845)
}}
| title             = [[Fullerian Professor of Chemistry]] (1833–1867)
| successor         = [[William Odling]]
| spouse            = {{Marriage|Sarah Barnard|1821}}
| awards            = {{Plain list|
* [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] (1824)
* [[Royal Society Bakerian Medal|Bakerian Medal]] (1829, 1832, 1849, 1851, 1857)
* [[Copley Medal]] (1832, 1838)
* [[Royal Medal]] (1835, 1846)
* [[Rumford Medal]] (1846)
* [[Albert Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Albert Medal]] (1866)
}}
| fields            = {{Flat list|
* [[Chemistry]]
* [[physics]]
}}
| academic_advisors = [[Humphry Davy]]
| work_institutions = [[Royal Institution]] (1821–1867)
| signature         = Michael Faraday signature.svg
}}

'''Michael Faraday''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|f|ær|ə|ˌ|d|eɪ}} {{Respell|FAR|uh|day}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|f|ær|ə|d|i}} {{Respell|FAR|uh|dee}};<ref>{{Cite web|title=FARADAY Definition & Meaning|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/faraday|website=[[dictionary.com]]|access-date=13 July 2025}}</ref> 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English [[chemist]] and [[physicist]] who contributed to the study of [[electrochemistry]] and [[electromagnetism]]. His main discoveries include the principles underlying [[electromagnetic induction]], [[diamagnetism]], and [[electrolysis]]. Although Faraday received little formal education, as a self-made man, he was one of the most influential scientists in history.<ref name="Rao" /> It was by his research on the [[magnetic field]] around a [[Electrical conductor|conductor]] carrying a [[direct current]] that Faraday established the concept of the [[electromagnetic field]] in physics. Faraday also established that [[magnetism]] could [[Faraday effect|affect rays of light]] and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena.<ref name="EncBrit">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Faraday, Michael|volume=10|pages=173–175}} the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica''.</ref><ref name="IEEUK">{{cite web|url=http://www.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/biographies/faraday.cfm|title=Archives Michael Faraday biography – The IET|website=theiet.org}}</ref> He similarly discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and the [[Faraday's laws of electrolysis|laws of electrolysis]]. His inventions of [[electric motor|electromagnetic rotary devices]] formed the foundation of electric motor technology, and it was largely due to his efforts that electricity became practical for use in technology.<ref name="Field">{{cite news |title=The Faraday cage: from Victorian experiment to Snowden-era paranoia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/may/22/michael-faraday-lost-better-call-saul-genius |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 May 2017}}</ref> The [[International System of Units|SI]] unit of [[capacitance]], the [[farad]], is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090226225105/http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/COURSES/FIRST_YEAR/pdf%20files/5Capacitanceanddielectr.pdf|archive-date=26 February 2009|url=http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/COURSES/FIRST_YEAR/pdf%20files/5Capacitanceanddielectr.pdf|title=Lecture notes: Capacitance and Dieletrics|publisher=University of New South Wales}}</ref>

As a chemist, Faraday discovered [[benzene]] and [[carbon tetrachloride]], investigated the [[clathrate hydrate]] of chlorine, invented an early form of the [[Bunsen burner]] and the system of [[oxidation number]]s, and popularised terminology such as "[[anode]]", "[[cathode]]", "[[electrode]]" and "[[ion]]". Faraday ultimately became the first and foremost [[Fullerian Professor of Chemistry]] at the [[Royal Institution]], a lifetime position.

Faraday was an experimentalist who conveyed his ideas in clear and simple language. His mathematical abilities did not extend as far as [[trigonometry]] and were limited to the simplest algebra. Physicist and mathematician [[James Clerk Maxwell]] took the work of Faraday and others and summarised it in a set of equations which is accepted as the basis of all modern theories of electromagnetic phenomena. On Faraday's uses of [[lines of force]], Maxwell wrote that they show Faraday "to have been in reality a mathematician of a very high order – one from whom the mathematicians of the future may derive valuable and fertile methods."<ref name="MaxwellSciPapVol1">{{Cite book|last1=Maxwell|first1=James Clerk|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RaqhIhxqLiwC&pg=PA360|title=The Scientific Papers of James Clerk Maxwell, Vol. II|editor-last=Niven|editor-first=W. D.|year= 2003|publisher=Dover Publications|isbn=978-0-486-49561-3|language=en}}</ref>

A highly principled scientist, Faraday devoted considerable time and energy to public service. He worked on optimising [[lighthouse]]s and protecting ships from [[corrosion]]. With [[Charles Lyell]], he produced a [[forensic investigation]] on a [[Coal mining|colliery]] explosion at [[Haswell, County Durham]], indicating for the first time that [[coal dust]] contributed to the severity of the explosion, and demonstrating how ventilation could have prevented it.<ref name="Explosions"/> Faraday also investigated industrial pollution at [[Swansea]], [[air pollution]] at the [[Royal Mint]], and wrote to ''[[The Times]]'' on the foul condition of the [[River Thames]] during the [[Great Stink]].<ref name="Times"/> He refused to work on developing chemical weapons for use in the Crimean War, citing ethical reservations. He declined to have his lectures published, preferring people to recreate the experiments for themselves, to better experience the discovery, and told a publisher: "I have always loved science more than money & because my occupation is almost entirely personal I cannot afford to get rich."<ref name="Smith"/>

[[Albert Einstein]] kept a portrait of Faraday on his study wall, alongside those of [[Isaac Newton]] and James Clerk Maxwell.<ref>{{cite news |title=How British scientists inspired and ensured Einstein's place in history |url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/how-british-scientists-inspired-and-ensured-einsteins-place-in-history |access-date=3 May 2024 |publisher=BBC Science}}</ref> 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."<ref name="Rao">[[C. N. R. Rao|Rao, C.N.R.]] (2000). ''Understanding Chemistry''. Universities Press. {{ISBN|81-7371-250-6}}. p. 281.</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Michael Faraday was born on September 21, 1791 in [[Newington Butts]],<ref name=ODNB/> [[Surrey]], which is now part of the [[London Borough of Southwark]].<ref>For a concise account of Faraday's life including his childhood, see pp. 175–183 of ''[[Every Saturday]]: A Journal of Choice Reading'', Vol III published at Cambridge in 1873 by [[James R. Osgood|Osgood & Co.]]</ref> His family was not well off. His father, James, was a member of the [[Glasite]] sect of Christianity. James Faraday moved his wife, Margaret (née Hastwell),<ref>[[Walter Jerrold|Jerrold, Walter]] (2018). ''Michael Faraday: Man of Science''. Books on Demand. {{ISBN|3734011124}}. p. 11.</ref> and two children to London during the winter of 1790 from [[Outhgill]] in [[Westmorland]], where he had been an apprentice to the village blacksmith.<ref>The implication is that James discovered job opportunities elsewhere through membership of this sect. James joined the London meeting house on 20 February 1791, and moved his family shortly thereafter. See [[#Cantor|Cantor]], pp. 57–58.</ref>  Michael was born in the autumn of the following year, the third of four children. The young Michael Faraday, having only the most basic school education, had to [[Autodidacticism|educate himself]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Answers about Michael Faraday|url=https://www.answers.com/t/michael-faraday|access-date=23 February 2023|website=Answers|language=en}}</ref>

At the age of 14, he became an apprentice to [[George Riebau]], a local bookbinder and bookseller in Blandford Street.<ref>{{openplaque|19}}</ref> During his seven-year apprenticeship Faraday read many books, including [[Isaac Watts]]'s ''The Improvement of the Mind'', and he enthusiastically implemented the principles and suggestions contained therein.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jenkins|first1=Alice|title=Michael Faraday's Mental Exercises: An Artisan Essay-Circle in Regency London|url=https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradaysm00jenk|url-access=limited|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradaysm00jenk/page/n227 213]|isbn=978-1846311406}}</ref> During this period, Faraday held discussions with his peers in the City Philosophical Society, where he attended lectures about various scientific topics.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=James|first1=Frank|title=Michael Faraday, The City Philosophical Society and The Society of Arts.|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41378130|url-access=limited|date=1992|issue=5426 |journal=RSA Journal|volume=140 |pages=192–199 |jstor=41378130 }}</ref> He also developed an interest in science, especially in electricity. Faraday was particularly inspired by the book ''Conversations on Chemistry'' by [[Jane Marcet]].<ref>{{cite episode
|transcript=No 741: Michael Faraday (transcript)
|transcript-url=http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi741.htm
|title=Michael Faraday |credits=Lienhard, John H.
|series=The Engines of Our Ingenuity
|series-link=The Engines of Our Ingenuity |airdate=1992 |number=741 |network=NPR
|station=KUHF-FM Houston}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode
|transcript=No 744: Jane Marcet's Books (transcript)
|transcript-url=http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi744.htm
|title=Jane Marcet's Books |credits=Lienhard, John H.
|series=The Engines of Our Ingenuity
|series-link=The Engines of Our Ingenuity |airdate=1992 |number=744 |network=NPR
|station=KUHF-FM Houston}}</ref>

===Adult life===
[[File:Portait of Michael Faraday2.png|thumb|upright|left|''[[Portrait of Michael Faraday]]'' by [[Thomas Phillips]], 1842]]
In 1812, at the age of 20 and at the end of his apprenticeship, Faraday attended lectures by the eminent English chemist [[Humphry Davy]] of the [[Royal Institution]] and the [[Royal Society]], and [[John Tatum (scientist)|John Tatum]], founder of the City Philosophical Society. Many of the tickets for these lectures were given to Faraday by [[William Dance]], who was one of the founders of the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]. Faraday subsequently sent Davy a 300-page book based on notes that he had taken during these lectures. Davy's reply was immediate, kind, and favourable. In 1813, when Davy damaged his eyesight in an accident with [[nitrogen trichloride]], he decided to employ Faraday as an assistant. Coincidentally one of the Royal Institution's assistants, John Payne, was sacked and Sir Humphry Davy had been asked to find a replacement; thus he appointed Faraday as Chemical Assistant at the Royal Institution on 1 March 1813.<ref name="EncBrit"/> Very soon, Davy entrusted Faraday with the preparation of nitrogen trichloride samples, and they both were injured in an explosion of this very sensitive substance.<ref>[[#Thomas|Thomas]], p. 17</ref>

Faraday married Sarah Barnard (1800–1879) on 12 June 1821.<ref>The register at St. Faith-in-the-Virgin near [[St. Paul's Cathedral]], records 12 June as the date their licence was issued. The witness was Sarah's father, Edward. Their marriage was 16 years prior to the Marriage and Registration Act 1837. See [[#Cantor|Cantor]], p. 59.</ref> They met through their families at the [[Sandemanian]] church, and he confessed his faith to the Sandemanian congregation the month after they were married. They had no children.<ref name=ODNB>{{cite ODNB|id=9153|title=Faraday, Michael (1791–1867)|orig-year=2004|year=2011|last=James|first=Frank A. J. L.}}</ref> Faraday was a devout Christian; his Sandemanian denomination was an offshoot of the [[Church of Scotland]]. Well after his marriage, he served as [[deacon]] and for two terms as an [[Elder (Christianity)|elder]] in the meeting house of his youth. His church was located at Paul's Alley in the [[Barbican Estate|Barbican]]. This meeting house relocated in 1862 to [[Barnsbury]] Grove, [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]]; this North London location was where Faraday served the final two years of his second term as elder prior to his resignation from that post.<ref>[[#Cantor|Cantor]], pp. 41–43, 60–64, 277–280.</ref><ref>Paul's Alley was located 10 houses south of the [[Barbican Estate|Barbican]]. See p. 330 [[James Elmes|Elmes]]'s (1831) ''Topographical Dictionary of the British Metropolis''.</ref>  Biographers have noted that "a strong sense of the unity of God and nature pervaded Faraday's life and work."<ref>{{Cite journal| author=Baggott, Jim | title = The myth of Michael Faraday: Michael Faraday was not just one of Britain's greatest experimenters. A closer look at the man and his work reveals that he was also a clever theoretician | journal=New Scientist | date = 2 September 1991 | url = https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13117874.600-the-myth-of-michael-faraday-michael-faraday-was-not-justone-of-britains-greatest-experimenters-a-closer-look-at-the-man-and-hiswork-reveals-that-he-was-also-a-clever-theoretician-.html | access-date =6 September 2008 }}</ref>

===Later life===
[[File:Three Fellows of the Royal Society offering the presidency o Wellcome L0022806.jpg|thumb|Three Fellows of the [[Royal Society]] offering the presidency to Faraday (right) in 1857]]
In June 1832, the [[University of Oxford]] granted Faraday an honorary [[Doctor of Civil Law]] degree. During his lifetime, he was offered a [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|knighthood]] in recognition for his services to science, which he [[List of people who have declined a British honour|turned down]] on religious grounds, believing that it was against the word of the Bible to accumulate riches and pursue worldly reward, and stating that he preferred to remain "plain Mr Faraday to the end".<ref>West, Krista (2013). ''The Basics of Metals and Metalloids''. Rosen Publishing Group. {{ISBN|1-4777-2722-1}}. p. 81.</ref> Elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society|Fellow]] of the [[Royal Society]] in 1824, he twice refused to become [[President of the Royal Society|President]].<ref>Todd Timmons (2012). "Makers of Western Science: The Works and Words of 24 Visionaries from Copernicus to Watson and Crick". p. 127.</ref> He became the first [[Fullerian Professor of Chemistry]] at the [[Royal Institution]] in 1833.<ref>{{cite news|title=Faraday appointed first Fullerian Professor of Chemistry|url=http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2014/february/fact--faraday-appointment-fullerian-prof-of-chemistry|publisher=The Royal Institution|date=16 October 2017|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805222946/https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2014/february/fact--faraday-appointment-fullerian-prof-of-chemistry|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1832, Faraday was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web |title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter F |url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterF.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527025245/http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterF.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2016 |publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences |access-date=15 September 2016 |page=159 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was elected a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] in 1838. In 1840, he was elected to the [[American Philosophical Society]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?year=1840;year-max=1840;smode=advanced;startDoc=21|access-date=9 April 2021|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref> He was one of eight foreign members elected to the [[French Academy of Sciences]] in 1844.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Gladstone, John Hall|title=Michael Faraday|year=1872|publisher=Macmillan and Co.|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/michaelfaraday06gladgoog/page/n67 53]|url=https://archive.org/details/michaelfaraday06gladgoog|quote=Faraday French Academy.}}</ref> In 1849 he was elected as associated member to the Royal Institute of the Netherlands, which two years later became the [[Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences]] and he was subsequently made foreign member.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dwc.knaw.nl/biografie/pmknaw/?pagetype=authorDetail&aId=PE00000215 |title=M. Faraday (1791–1867) |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Faraday House 37 Hampton Court Road KT8 9BW.jpg|thumb|left|Faraday House in [[Hampton Court]] where Faraday lived between 1858 and 1867]]
Faraday had a [[nervous breakdown]] in 1839 but eventually returned to his investigations into electromagnetism.<ref>Bowden, Mary Ellen (1997). ''Chemical Achievers: The Human Face of the Chemical Sciences''. Chemical Heritage Foundation. {{ISBN|0-941901-12-2}}. p. 30.</ref> In 1848, as a result of representations by the [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Consort]], Faraday was awarded a [[grace and favour]] house in [[Hampton Court]] in Middlesex, free of all expenses and upkeep. This was the Master Mason's House, later called Faraday House, and now No. 37 Hampton Court Road. In 1858 Faraday retired to live there.<ref>[http://www.twickenham-museum.org.uk/detail.asp?ContentID=197 "Twickenham Museum on Faraday and Faraday House"]; twickenham-museum.org.uk. Accessed 14 August 2014.</ref>

[[File:Faraday Michael grave.jpg|thumb|upright|Faraday's grave at [[Highgate Cemetery]], London]]
Having provided a number of various service projects for the British government, when asked by the government to advise on the production of chemical weapons for use in the [[Crimean War]] (1853–1856), Faraday refused to participate, citing ethical reasons.<ref name="Croddy">{{Cite book|last1=Croddy|first1=Eric|last2=Wirtz|first2=James J.|title=Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzlNgS70OHAC&q=Faraday++chemical+weapons+Crimean+War&pg=PA86|year=2005|page= 86|isbn=978-1-85109-490-5}}</ref>{{anchor|death}} He also refused offers to publish his lectures, believing that they would lose impact if not accompanied by the live experiments. His reply to an offer from a publisher in a letter ends with: "I have always loved science more than money & because my occupation is almost entirely personal I cannot afford to get rich."<ref name="Smith">{{cite news |title=Faraday to William Smith 3 January 1859 |url=https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3541 |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=Epilson.ac.uk}}</ref>

Faraday died at his house at [[Hampton Court]] on 25 August 1867, aged 75.<ref>{{openplaque|2429}}</ref> He had some years before turned down an offer of burial in [[Westminster Abbey]] upon his death, but he has a memorial plaque there, near [[Isaac Newton]]'s tomb.<ref>'The Abbey Scientists' Hall, A.R. p. 59: London; Roger & Robert Nicholson; 1966</ref> Faraday was interred in the [[dissenter]]s' (non-[[Anglicanism|Anglican]]) section of [[Highgate Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Remarkable Physicists: From Galileo to Yukawa |date=2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=118–119}}</ref>

==Scientific achievements==
===Chemistry===
[[File:Ri 2014 - glass making - Faraday.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.80|Equipment used by Faraday to make glass on display at the [[Royal Institution]] in London]]
Faraday's earliest chemical work was as an assistant to [[Humphry Davy]]. Faraday was involved in the study of [[chlorine]]; he discovered two new compounds of chlorine and [[carbon]]:  [[hexachloroethane]] which he made via the chlorination of [[ethylene]] and [[carbon tetrachloride]] from the decomposition of the former. He also conducted the first rough experiments on the diffusion of gases, a phenomenon that was first pointed out by [[John Dalton]]. The physical importance of this phenomenon was more fully revealed by [[Thomas Graham (chemist)|Thomas Graham]] and [[Joseph Loschmidt]]. Faraday succeeded in liquefying several gases, investigated the alloys of steel, and produced several new kinds of glass intended for optical purposes. A specimen of one of these heavy glasses subsequently became historically important; when the glass was placed in a magnetic field Faraday determined the rotation of the plane of polarisation of light. This specimen was also the first substance found to be repelled by the poles of a magnet.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hadfield |first1=Robert Abbott |title=A research on Faraday's 'steel and alloys' |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical or Physical Character |date=1931 |volume=230 |issue=681–693 |pages=221–292 |doi=10.1098/rsta.1932.0007 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Akerlof |first1=Carl W. |title=Faraday Rotation |url=http://instructor.physics.lsa.umich.edu/adv-labs/Faraday/Faraday_Effect-july09-5.pdf |access-date=29 November 2023}}</ref>

Faraday invented an early form of what was to become the [[Bunsen burner]], which is still in practical use in science laboratories around the world as a convenient source of heat.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1-link=William B. Jensen| last =Jensen  | first =William B. |doi=10.1021/ed082p518 | title =The Origin of the Bunsen Burner | journal=[[Journal of Chemical Education]]  | volume = 82  | issue = 4 | page =518 | year =2005  | url = http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/Journal/Issues/2005/Apr/clicSubscriber/V82N04/p518.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050530143615/http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/Journal/Issues/2005/Apr/clicSubscriber/V82N04/p518.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2005 |bibcode = 2005JChEd..82..518J }}</ref><ref>[[#Faraday1827|Faraday (1827)]], p. 127.</ref>
Faraday worked extensively in the field of chemistry, discovering chemical substances such as [[benzene]] (which he called bicarburet of hydrogen) and liquefying gases such as chlorine. The liquefying of gases helped to establish that gases are the vapours of liquids possessing a very low boiling point and gave a more solid basis to the concept of molecular aggregation. In 1820 Faraday reported the first synthesis of compounds made from carbon and chlorine, [[hexachloroethane|C<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>6</sub>]] and [[carbon tetrachloride|CCl<sub>4</sub>]], and published his results the following year.<ref>{{Cite journal| author=Faraday, Michael | title = On two new Compounds of Chlorine and Carbon, and on a new Compound of Iodine, Carbon, and Hydrogen | journal=Philosophical Transactions | year = 1821 | volume = 111| pages = 47–74 | doi = 10.1098/rstl.1821.0007 | s2cid = 186212922 | doi-access =  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last = Faraday | first = Michael | title = Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics | publisher=[[Richard Taylor and William Francis]] | year= 1859 | location = London | pages = 33–53| isbn = 978-0-85066-841-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Williams | first = L. Pearce | title = Michael Faraday: A Biography | publisher = [[Basic Books]] | year = 1965 | location = New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradaybi0000will_g3v0/page/122 122–123] | isbn = 978-0-306-80299-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradaybi0000will_g3v0/page/122 }}</ref> Faraday also determined the composition of the chlorine [[clathrate hydrate]], which had been discovered by Humphry Davy in 1810.<ref>{{Cite journal| author=Faraday, Michael | title = On Hydrate of Chlorine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lhw_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA71| journal=Quarterly Journal of Science | year = 1823 | volume = 15| page = 71 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last = Faraday | first = Michael | title = Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics | publisher=Richard Taylor and William Francis | year= 1859 | location = London | pages = 81–84| isbn = 978-0-85066-841-4}}</ref> Faraday is also responsible for discovering the [[Faraday's laws of electrolysis|laws of electrolysis]], and for popularising terminology such as [[anode]], [[cathode]], [[electrode]], and [[ion]], terms proposed in large part by [[William Whewell]].<ref>{{cite journal | author = Ehl, Rosemary Gene |author2=Ihde, Aaron |url=http://www.elch.chem.msu.ru/rus/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ed031p226FaradayLaw.pdf | title = Faraday's Electrochemical Laws and the Determination of Equivalent Weights | journal = Journal of Chemical Education | year = 1954 | volume = 31 | issue = May | pages = 226–232 | doi = 10.1021/ed031p226 | bibcode=1954JChEd..31..226E}}</ref>

Faraday was the first to report what later came to be called metallic [[nanoparticles]]. In 1857 he discovered that the optical properties of gold [[colloid]]s differed from those of the corresponding bulk metal. This was probably the first reported observation of the effects of [[quantum]] size, and might be considered to be the birth of [[nanoscience]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nanogallery.info/nanogallery/?ipg=126 |title=The Birth of Nanotechnology |access-date=25 July 2007 |year=2006 |publisher=Nanogallery.info |quote=Faraday made some attempt to explain what was causing the vivid coloration in his gold mixtures, saying that known phenomena seemed to indicate that a mere variation in the size of gold particles gave rise to a variety of resultant colors. }}</ref>

===Electricity and magnetism===
Faraday is best known for his work on electricity and magnetism. His first recorded experiment was the construction of a [[voltaic pile]] with seven [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|British halfpenny]] coins, stacked together with seven discs of sheet zinc, and six pieces of paper moistened with salt water.<ref name="First experiment"/> With this pile he passed the [[electric current]] through a solution of [[Magnesium sulfate|sulfate of magnesia]] and succeeded in decomposing the chemical compound (recorded in first letter to Abbott, 12 July 1812).<ref name="First experiment">{{cite book |last1=Mee |first1=Nicholas |title=Higgs Force: The Symmetry-breaking Force that Makes the World an Interesting Place |date=2012 |page=55}}</ref>

[[File:Faraday magnetic rotation.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Electromagnetic rotation experiment of Faraday, 1821,  the first demonstration of the conversion of electrical energy into motion<ref>{{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Experimental Researches in Electricity | year = 1844 | volume = 2| publisher = Courier Corporation | isbn = 978-0-486-43505-3 }} See plate 4.</ref>]]
In 1821, soon after the Danish physicist and chemist [[Hans Christian Ørsted]] discovered the phenomenon of [[electromagnetism]], Davy and [[William Hyde Wollaston]] tried, but failed, to design an [[electric motor]].<ref name="IEEUK"/> Faraday, having discussed the problem with the two men, went on to build two devices to produce what he called "electromagnetic rotation". One of these, now known as the [[homopolar motor]], caused a continuous circular motion that was engendered by the circular magnetic force around a wire that extended into a pool of [[mercury (element)|mercury]] wherein was placed a magnet; the wire would then rotate around the magnet if supplied with current from a chemical battery. These experiments and inventions formed the foundation of modern electromagnetic technology. In his excitement, Faraday published results without acknowledging his work with either Wollaston or Davy. The resulting controversy within the [[Royal Society]] strained his mentor relationship with Davy and may well have contributed to Faraday's assignment to other activities, which consequently prevented his involvement in electromagnetic research for several years.<ref>[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], pp. 165–171, 183, 187–190.</ref><ref>[[#Cantor|Cantor]], pp. 231–233.</ref>

[[File:Induction experiment.png|thumb|One of Faraday's 1831 experiments demonstrating induction. The liquid battery ''(right)'' sends an electric current through the small coil ''(A)''.  When it is moved in or out of the large coil ''(B)'', its magnetic field induces a momentary voltage in the coil, which is detected by the galvanometer ''(G)''.]]
From his initial discovery in 1821, Faraday continued his laboratory work, exploring electromagnetic properties of materials and developing requisite experience. In 1824, Faraday briefly set up a circuit to study whether a magnetic field could regulate the flow of a current in an adjacent wire, but he found no such relationship.<ref>[[#Thompson|Thompson]], p. 95.</ref> This experiment followed similar work conducted with light and magnets three years earlier that yielded identical results.<ref>[[#Thompson|Thompson]], p. 91. This lab entry illustrates Faraday's quest for the connection between light and electromagnetic phenomenon 10 September 1821.</ref><ref>[[#Cantor|Cantor]], p. 233.</ref> During the next seven years, Faraday spent much of his time perfecting his recipe for optical quality (heavy) glass, borosilicate of lead,<ref>[[#Thompson|Thompson]], pp. 95–98.</ref> which he used in his future studies connecting light with magnetism.<ref>[[#Thompson|Thompson]], p. 100.</ref>  In his spare time, Faraday continued publishing his experimental work on optics and electromagnetism; he conducted correspondence with scientists whom he had met on his journeys across Europe with Davy, and who were also working on electromagnetism.<ref>Faraday's initial induction lab work occurred in late November 1825. His work was heavily influenced by the ongoing research of fellow European scientists Ampere, Arago, and Oersted as indicated by his diary entries. [[#Cantor|Cantor]], pp. 235–244.</ref> Two years after the death of Davy, in 1831, he began his great series of experiments in which he discovered [[electromagnetic induction]], recording in his laboratory diary on 28 October 1831 that he was "making many experiments with the great magnet of the Royal Society".<ref>Gooding, David; Pinch, Trevor; Schaffer, Simon (1989). ''The Uses of Experiment: Studies in the Natural Sciences''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-33768-2}}. p. 212.</ref>

[[File:Faraday emf experiment.svg|thumb|A diagram of Faraday's iron ring-coil apparatus]]
[[File:Faraday disk generator.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Built in 1831, the [[Faraday disc]] was the first [[electric generator]]. The horseshoe-shaped magnet ''(A)'' created a magnetic field through the disc ''(D)''. When the disc was turned, this induced an electric current radially outward from the centre toward the rim.  The current flowed out through the sliding spring contact ''m'', through the external circuit, and back into the centre of the disc through the axle.]]
Faraday's breakthrough came when he wrapped two insulated coils of wire around an iron ring, and found that, upon passing a current through one coil, a momentary current was induced in the other coil.<ref name="IEEUK"/> This phenomenon is now known as [[mutual inductance]].<ref>Van Valkenburgh (1995). ''Basic Electricity''. Cengage Learning. {{ISBN|0-7906-1041-8}}. pp.&nbsp;4–91.</ref> The iron ring-coil apparatus is still on display at the Royal Institution. In subsequent experiments, he found that if he moved a magnet through a loop of wire an electric current flowed in that wire. The current also flowed if the loop was moved over a stationary magnet. His demonstrations established that a changing magnetic field produces an electric field; this relation was modelled mathematically by [[James Clerk Maxwell]] as [[Faraday's law of induction|Faraday's law]], which subsequently became one of the four [[Maxwell's equations|Maxwell equations]], and which have in turn evolved into the generalization known today as [[Field theory (physics)|field theory]].<ref name="Pioneers"/> Faraday would later use the principles he had discovered to construct the electric [[dynamo]], the ancestor of modern power generators and the electric motor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Michael Faraday's generator|url=http://www.rigb.org/our-history/iconic-objects/iconic-objects-list/faraday-generator|publisher=The Royal Institution|date=15 October 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Faraday and Daniell.jpg|thumb|upright|Faraday (right) and [[John Frederic Daniell|John Daniell]] (left), founders of electrochemistry]]
In 1832, he completed a series of experiments aimed at investigating the fundamental nature of electricity; Faraday used "[[Electrostatics|static]]", [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]], and "[[Bioelectromagnetism|animal electricity]]" to produce the phenomena of electrostatic attraction, [[electrolysis]], [[Electromagnetism|magnetism]], etc. He concluded that, contrary to the scientific opinion of the time, the divisions between the various "kinds" of electricity were illusory. Faraday instead proposed that only a single "electricity" exists, and the changing values of quantity and intensity (current and voltage) would produce different groups of phenomena.<ref name="IEEUK"/>

Near the end of his career, Faraday proposed that electromagnetic forces extended into the empty space around the conductor.<ref name="Pioneers">{{cite book|title=Lives and Times of Great Pioneers in Chemistry (lavoisier to Sanger)|date=2015|publisher=World Scientific|pages=85, 86}}</ref> This idea was rejected by his fellow scientists, and Faraday did not live to see the eventual acceptance of his proposition by the scientific community. It would be another half a century before electricity was used in technology, with the [[West End theatre|West End]]'s [[Savoy Theatre]], fitted with the [[incandescent light bulb]] developed by Sir [[Joseph Swan]], the first public building in the world to be lit by electricity.<ref>"The Savoy Theatre", ''[[The Times]]'', 3 October 1881. "An interesting experiment was made at a performance of ''Patience'' yesterday afternoon, when the stage was for the first time lit up by the electric light, which has been used in the auditorium ever since the opening of the Savoy Theatre. The success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated. The light was perfectly steady throughout the performance, and the effect was pictorially superior to gas, the colours of the dresses – an important element in the "æsthetic" opera – appearing as true and distinct as by daylight. The Swan incandescent lamps were used, the aid of gaslight being entirely dispensed with".</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Savoy is one of the best places to stay in London |url=https://10best.usatoday.com/destinations/uk-england/london/london/hotels/the-savoy-1/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=USA Today |quote=The first public building in the world to be lit entirely by electricity, The Savoy has a history rich in both invention and scandal.}}</ref> As recorded by the [[Royal Institution]], "Faraday invented the generator in 1831 but it took nearly 50 years before all the technology, including Joseph Swan's incandescent filament light bulbs used here, came into common use".<ref>{{cite news |title=A tour of Michael Faraday in London |url=https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/collection/tour-michael-faraday-london |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=[[The Royal Institution]]}}</ref>

===Diamagnetism===
[[File:Faraday with glass bar crop2.jpg|thumb|upright|Faraday holding a type of glass bar he used in 1845 to show magnetism affects light in [[dielectric]] material<ref>{{cite web|title=Detail of an engraving by Henry Adlard, based on earlier photograph by Maull & Polyblank ''ca.'' 1857|url=http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp01529|publisher=[[NPR]]|location=National Portrait Gallery, UK}}</ref>]]
In 1845, Faraday discovered that many materials exhibit a weak repulsion from a magnetic field: an effect he termed [[diamagnetism]].<ref>James, Frank A.J.L (2010). ''Michael Faraday: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-161446-7}}. p. 81.</ref>

Faraday also discovered that the plane of [[Polarization (waves)|polarization]] of linearly polarised light can be rotated by the application of an external magnetic field aligned with the direction in which the light is moving. This is now termed the [[Faraday effect]].<ref name="Pioneers"/> In Sept 1845 he wrote in his notebook, "I have at last succeeded in ''illuminating a magnetic curve'' or ''[[line of force]]'' and in ''magnetising a [[Ray (optics)|ray of light]]''".<ref>Day, Peter (1999). ''The Philosopher's Tree: A Selection of Michael Faraday's Writings''. CRC Press. {{ISBN|0-7503-0570-3}}. p. 125.</ref>

Later on in his life, in 1862, Faraday used a spectroscope to search for a different alteration of light, the change of spectral lines by an applied magnetic field. The equipment available to him was, however, insufficient for a definite determination of spectral change. [[Pieter Zeeman]] later used an improved apparatus to study the same phenomenon, publishing his results in 1897 and receiving the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics for his success. In both his 1897 paper<ref>{{Cite journal| title = The Effect of Magnetisation on the Nature of Light Emitted by a Substance | journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]  | year = 1897 | volume = 55 | page = 347 | author=Zeeman, Pieter | doi = 10.1038/055347a0|bibcode = 1897Natur..55..347Z | issue=1424| doi-access = free }}</ref> and his Nobel acceptance speech, Zeeman made reference to Faraday's work.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Pieter Zeeman, Nobel Lecture | url = http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1902/zeeman-lecture.html | access-date =29 May 2008}}</ref>

====Faraday cage====
In his work on static electricity, [[Faraday's ice pail experiment]] demonstrated that the charge resided only on the exterior of a charged conductor, and exterior charge had no influence on anything enclosed within a conductor. This is because the exterior charges redistribute such that the interior fields emanating from them cancel one another. This shielding effect is used in what is now known as a [[Faraday cage]].<ref name="Pioneers"/> In January 1836, Faraday had put a wooden frame, 12&nbsp;ft square, on four glass supports and added paper walls and wire mesh. He then stepped inside and electrified it. When he stepped out of his electrified cage, Faraday had shown that electricity was a force, not an imponderable fluid as was believed at the time.<ref name="Field"/>

==Royal Institution and public service==
[[File:FaradayFatherThames.jpg|thumb|upright|Michael Faraday meets [[Father Thames]], from ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' (21 July 1855).]]
Faraday had a long association with the [[Royal Institution of Great Britain]]. He was appointed Assistant Superintendent of the House of the Royal Institution in 1821.<ref name=RIBiography>{{cite web|title=Michael Faraday (1791–1867)|url=http://www.rigb.org/our-history/people/f/michael-faraday|publisher=The Royal Institution|access-date=20 February 2014}}</ref> He was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society|Fellow]] of the [[Royal Society]] in 1824.<ref name=ODNB/> In 1825, he became Director of the Laboratory of the Royal Institution.<ref name=RIBiography />  Six years later, in 1833, Faraday became the first [[Fullerian Professor of Chemistry]] at the [[Royal Institution of Great Britain]], a position to which he was appointed for life without the obligation to deliver lectures. His sponsor and mentor was [[John 'Mad Jack' Fuller]], who created the position at the Royal Institution for Faraday.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Roger|title=What's Who?: A Dictionary of Things Named After People and the People They are Named After|date=2009|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|page=74}}</ref>

Beyond his scientific research into areas such as chemistry, electricity, and magnetism at the [[Royal Institution]], Faraday undertook numerous, and often time-consuming, service projects for private enterprise and the British government. This work included investigations of explosions in coal mines, being an [[expert witness]] in court, and along with two engineers from [[Chance Brothers]] {{circa|1853}}, the preparation of high-quality optical glass, which was required by Chance for its lighthouses. In 1846, together with [[Charles Lyell]], he produced a lengthy and detailed report on a serious [[explosion]] in the colliery at [[Haswell, County Durham]], which killed 95 miners.<ref name="Explosions"/> Their report was a meticulous [[forensic investigation]] and indicated that [[coal dust]] contributed to the severity of the explosion.<ref name="Explosions">{{cite news |title=Causes of accidental explosions in the 19th century |url=https://www.rigb.org/blog/2020/february/accidental-explosions |access-date=8 September 2020 |agency=The Royal Institution}}</ref> The first-time explosions had been linked to dust, Faraday gave a demonstration during a lecture on how ventilation could prevent it. The report should have warned coal owners of the hazard of coal dust explosions, but the risk was ignored for over 60 years until the 1913 [[Senghenydd Colliery Disaster]].<ref name="Explosions"/>

[[File:Lighthouse lantern room with Fresnel lens.png|thumb|left|upright|Lighthouse lantern room from mid-1800s]]
As a respected scientist in a nation with strong maritime interests, Faraday spent extensive amounts of time on projects such as the construction and operation of [[lighthouse]]s and protecting the bottoms of ships from [[corrosion]]. His workshop still stands at [[Trinity Buoy Wharf]] above the Chain and Buoy Store, next to London's only lighthouse where he carried out the first experiments in electric lighting for lighthouses.<ref>Smith, Denis (2001). ''London and the Thames Valley''. Thomas Telford; {{ISBN|0-7277-2876-8}}, p. 236.</ref>

Faraday was also active in what would now be called [[environmental science]], or engineering. He investigated industrial pollution at [[Swansea]] and was consulted on air pollution at the [[Royal Mint]]. In July 1855, Faraday wrote a letter to ''[[The Times]]'' on the subject of the foul condition of the [[River Thames]], which resulted in an often-reprinted cartoon in ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]''. (See also [[The Great Stink]]).<ref name="Times">Faraday, Michael (9 July 1855). "The State of the Thames", ''The Times''. p. 8.</ref>

[[File:Faraday apparatus for ideomotor effect on table turning.png|thumb|upright=0.9|Faraday's apparatus for experimental demonstration of [[Ideomotor phenomenon|ideomotor effect]] on table-turning]]
Faraday assisted with the planning and judging of exhibits for the [[Great Exhibition]] of 1851 in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], London.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Correspondence of Michael Faraday: 1849–1855, Volume 4 |date=1991 |publisher=IET |page=xxxvii}}</ref> He also advised the [[National Gallery, London|National Gallery]] on the cleaning and protection of its art collection, and served on the National Gallery Site Commission in 1857.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21950|page=4219|date=16 December 1856}}</ref><ref>[[#Thomas|Thomas]], p. 83</ref> Education was another of Faraday's areas of service; he lectured on the topic in 1854 at the Royal Institution,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/scienceeducation00roya|title=Science and education; lectures delivered at the Royal institution of Great Britain|last1=Royal Institution of Great Britain|last2=Whewell|first2=William|last3=Faraday|first3=Michael|last4=Latham|first4=Robert Gordon|last5=Daubeny|first5=Charles|last6=Tyndall|first6=John|last7=Paget|first7=James|last8=Hodgson|first8=William Ballantyne|last9=Lankester|first9=E. Ray (Edwin Ray)|date=1917|publisher=W. Heinemann|others=Library of Congress|pages=39–74 [51]}}</ref> and, in 1862, he appeared before a Public Schools Commission to give his views on education in Great Britain. Faraday also weighed in negatively on the public's fascination with [[table-turning]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Faraday |first=Michael |title=Table-turning |work=[[The Illustrated London News]] |date=2 July 1853 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?q1=faraday;id=chi.60765664;view=1up;seq=526;start=1;sz=10;page=search;num=530#view=1up;seq=526 |page=530}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924012323014|title=Michael Faraday; his life and work|last=Thompson|first=Silvanus Phillips|date=1898|publisher=London, Cassell|others=Cornell University Library|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924012323014/page/n269 250]–252}}</ref> [[mesmerism]], and [[seance]]s, and in so doing chastised both the public and the nation's educational system.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FH0bc2VJNe4C&pg=PR30|title=The correspondence of Michael Faraday. Vol. 4|last1=James|first1=Frank A.J.L|last2=Faraday|first2=Michael|date=1991|publisher=The Institution of Electrical Engineers|isbn=978-0-86341-251-6|location=London|pages=xxx–xxii|language=en}}</ref>

Before his famous Christmas lectures, Faraday delivered chemistry lectures for the City Philosophical Society from 1816 to 1818 in order to refine the quality of his lectures.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1119/1.1343427| title = Michael Faraday: Prince of lecturers in Victorian England| journal = The Physics Teacher| volume = 39| issue = 1| pages = 32–36| year = 2001| last1 = Lan | first1 = B.L. |bibcode = 2001PhTea..39...32L }}</ref>

[[File:Professor Faraday lecturing at the Royal Institution, 27th December, 1855 RIIC 0006 20110213 BAL EP.jpg|thumb|left|Faraday (standing behind a desk) delivering a [[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures|Christmas Lecture]] to the general public at the [[Royal Institution]] in 1856]]
Between 1827 and 1860 at the [[Royal Institution]] in London, Faraday gave a series of nineteen [[Royal Institution Christmas Lectures|Christmas lectures]] for young people, a series which continues today. The objective of the lectures was to present science to the general public in the hopes of inspiring them and generating revenue for the Royal Institution. They were notable events on the social calendar among London's gentry. Over the course of several letters to his close friend Benjamin Abbott, Faraday outlined his recommendations on the art of lecturing, writing "a flame should be lighted at the commencement and kept alive with unremitting splendour to the end".<ref>Hirshfeld, Alan (2006). ''The Electric Life of Michael Faraday''. New York: Walker & Company; {{ISBN|0-8027-1470-6}}</ref> His lectures were joyful and juvenile, he delighted in filling soap bubbles with various gasses (in order to determine whether or not they are magnetic), but the lectures were also deeply philosophical. In his lectures he urged his audiences to consider the mechanics of his experiments: "you know very well that ice floats upon water&nbsp;... Why does the ice float? Think of that, and philosophise".<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1063/1.3035100| title = Michael Faraday and the Art of Lecturing| journal = Physics Today| volume = 21| issue = 8| pages = 30–38| year = 1968| last1 = Seeger | first1 = R.J. | bibcode = 1968PhT....21h..30S}}</ref> The subjects in his lectures consisted of Chemistry and Electricity, and included: 1841: ''The Rudiments of Chemistry'', 1843: ''First Principles of Electricity'', 1848: ''[[The Chemical History of a Candle]]'', 1851: ''Attractive Forces'', 1853: ''Voltaic Electricity'', 1854: ''The Chemistry of Combustion'', 1855: ''The Distinctive Properties of the Common Metals'', 1857: ''Static Electricity'', 1858: ''The Metallic Properties'', 1859: ''The Various Forces of Matter and their Relations to Each Other''.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Christmas Lectures|url=http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/history|publisher=The Royal Institution|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609035905/http://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/history|archive-date=9 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Commemorations==
{{See also|List of things named after Michael Faraday}}
[[File:Statue of Michael Faraday, Savoy Place.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Statue of Faraday in [[Savoy Place]], London. Sculptor [[John Henry Foley]].]]

A statue of Michael Faraday stands in [[Savoy Place]], along [[Victoria Embankment]], London, outside the [[Institution of Engineering and Technology]]. The [[Michael Faraday Memorial|Faraday Memorial]], designed by [[brutalist]] architect [[Rodney Gordon]] and completed in 1961, is at the [[Elephant & Castle]] [[gyratory system]], near Faraday's birthplace at [[Newington Butts]], London. Faraday School is located on [[Trinity Buoy Wharf]] where his workshop still stands above the Chain and Buoy Store, next to London's only lighthouse.<ref>Fisher, Stuart (2012). ''Rivers of Britain: Estuaries, tideways, havens, lochs, firths and kyles''. [[A&C Black]]. {{ISBN|1-4081-5583-4}}. p. 231.</ref> Faraday Gardens is a small park in [[Walworth]], London, not far from his birthplace at Newington Butts. It lies within the local council ward of Faraday in the [[London Borough of Southwark]]. Michael Faraday Primary school is situated on the [[Aylesbury Estate]] in [[Walworth]].<ref>[http://michaelfaradayschool.co.uk/about_us/ Michael Faraday Primary School] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329005025/http://michaelfaradayschool.co.uk/about_us/ |date=29 March 2012 }}. michaelfaradayschool.co.uk</ref>

A building at [[London South Bank University]], which houses the institute's electrical engineering departments is named the Faraday Wing, due to its proximity to Faraday's birthplace in [[Newington Butts]]. A hall at [[Loughborough University]] was named after Faraday in 1960. Near the entrance to its dining hall is a bronze casting, which depicts the symbol of an electrical [[transformer]], and inside there hangs a portrait, both in Faraday's honour. An eight-storey building at the [[University of Edinburgh]]'s science & engineering campus is named for Faraday, as is a recently built hall of accommodation at [[Brunel University]], the main engineering building at [[Swansea University]], and the instructional and experimental physics building at [[Northern Illinois University]]. The former UK Faraday Station in [[Antarctica]] was named after him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Faraday (Station F)|url=https://www.bas.ac.uk/about/about-bas/history/british-research-stations-and-refuges/faraday-f/|access-date=23 February 2023|website=British Antarctic Survey|language=en-GB}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=27%|align=left|quote=Without such freedom there would have been no [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], no [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]], no [[Isaac Newton|Newton]], no Faraday, no [[Louis Pasteur|Pasteur]] and no [[Joseph Lister|Lister]].|source=—[[Albert Einstein]]'s speech on [[intellectual freedom]] at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London having fled Nazi Germany, 3 October 1933<ref>{{cite news|title=3 October 1933 – Albert Einstein presents his final speech given in Europe, at the Royal Albert Hall|url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2013/october/3-october-1933-albert-einstein-speaks-at-the-hall/|publisher=Royal Albert Hall|date=15 October 2017}}</ref>}}
Streets named for Faraday can be found in many British cities (e.g., London, [[Glenrothes]], [[Swindon]], [[Basingstoke]], [[Nottingham]], [[Whitby]], [[Kirkby]], [[Crawley]], [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]], [[Swansea]], [[Aylesbury]] and [[Stevenage]]) as well as in France (Paris), Germany ([[Berlin]]-[[Dahlem (Berlin)|Dahlem]], [[Hermsdorf, Thuringia|Hermsdorf]]), Canada ([[Quebec City]], Quebec; [[Deep River, Ontario|Deep River]], Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario), the United States ([[The Bronx]], New York and [[Reston, Virginia|Reston]], Virginia), Australia ([[Carlton, Victoria|Carlton]], Victoria), and New Zealand ([[Hawke's Bay Region|Hawke's Bay]]).<ref>McNamara, John (1991). ''History in Asphalt''. Harrison, NY: Harbor Hill Books. p. 99. ISBN 0-941980-15-4.</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clarke-sir-andrew-3219/text4851|title=Sir Andrew Clarke (1824–1902)|publisher=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]| access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Faraday Centre |url=https://www.faradaycentre.org.nz/about-us/history/ |access-date=8 September 2020 |agency=Faradaycentre.org}}</ref>

[[File:MICHAEL FARADAY MAN OF SCIENCE. APPRENTICE HERE. B.1791D.1867.jpg|thumb|upright|Plaque erected in 1876 by the [[Royal Society of Arts]] in Marylebone, London]]
A [[Royal Society of Arts]] [[blue plaque]], unveiled in 1876, commemorates Faraday at 48 Blandford Street in London's Marylebone district.<ref name='EngHet'>{{cite web| url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/faraday-michael-1791-1867|title=Faraday, Michael (1791–1867)|publisher=[[English Heritage]]| access-date=23 October 2012}}</ref> From 1991 until 2001, Faraday's picture featured on the reverse of Series E £20 [[Banknotes of the pound sterling|banknotes]] issued by the [[Bank of England note issues|Bank of England]]. He was portrayed conducting a lecture at the Royal Institution with the magneto-electric spark apparatus.<ref name="bankofengland">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/denom_guide/index.htm|title=Withdrawn banknotes reference guide|publisher=[[Bank of England]]|access-date=17 October 2008|archive-date=10 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610131654/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/denom_guide/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2002, Faraday was ranked number 22 in the [[BBC]]'s list of the [[100 Greatest Britons]] following a UK-wide vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons/list.shtml/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021204214727/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons/list.shtml/|archive-date=4 December 2002|title=BBC – Great Britons – Top 100|website=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref>

Faraday has been commemorated on postage stamps issued by the [[Royal Mail]]. In 1991, as a pioneer of electricity he featured in their [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 1990–1999|Scientific Achievements]] issue along with pioneers in three other fields ([[Charles Babbage]] (computing), [[Frank Whittle]] (jet engine) and [[Robert Watson-Watt]] (radar)).<ref>{{cite news |title='Scientific achievements' postage stamps |url=https://collection.maas.museum/object/149421 |access-date=30 September 2022 |publisher=Museum of Applied Sciences collection}}</ref> In 1999, under the title "Faraday's Electricity", he featured in their [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 1990–1999|World Changers]] issue along with [[Charles Darwin]], [[Edward Jenner]] and [[Alan Turing]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Issue: World Changers (21.09.1999) |url=https://www.bfdc.co.uk/1999/world_changers/page1.html |access-date=30 September 2022 |work=BFDC}}</ref>

The [[Faraday Institute for Science and Religion]] derives its name from the scientist, who saw his faith as integral to his scientific research. The logo of the institute is also based on Faraday's discoveries. It was created in 2006 by a $2,000,000 [[Grant (money)|grant]] from the [[John Templeton Foundation]] to carry out academic research, to foster understanding of the interaction between science and religion, and to engage public understanding in both these subject areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.templeton.org/what-we-fund/grants/faraday-institute-for-science-and-religion-interdisciplinary-research-and-projec|title=Faraday Institute for Science and Religion: Interdisciplinary Research and Projects|website=templeton.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111173539/http://www.templeton.org/what-we-fund/grants/faraday-institute-for-science-and-religion-interdisciplinary-research-and-projec|archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/faraday/Institute.php About us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213214256/http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/faraday/Institute.php |date=13 December 2009 }}, Faraday Institute</ref>

[[The Faraday Institution]], an independent energy storage research institute established in 2017, also derives its name from Michael Faraday.<ref name="Institution"/> The organisation serves as the UK's primary research programme to advance battery science and technology, education, public engagement and market research.<ref name="Institution">{{cite web |title=The Faraday Institution |url=https://faraday.ac.uk/ |publisher=The Faraday Institution|access-date=25 December 2020}}</ref>

Faraday's life and contributions to electromagnetics was the principal topic of the tenth episode, titled "[[The Electric Boy]]", of the 2014 American science documentary series, ''[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]'', which was broadcast on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and the [[National Geographic Channel]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=A Successor to Sagan Reboots 'Cosmos' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/science/space/a-successor-to-sagan-reboots-cosmos.html |date=4 March 2014 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=17 June 2014 }}</ref>

The writer [[Aldous Huxley]] wrote about Faraday in an essay entitled, ''A Night in Pietramala'': "He is always the natural philosopher. To discover truth is his sole aim and interest&nbsp;... even if I could be Shakespeare, I think I should still choose to be Faraday."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huxley |first1=Aldous |title=A Night in Pietramala. In: Along the Road: Notes and Essays of a Tourist |date=1925 |publisher=George H. Doran |location=New York}}</ref> Calling Faraday her "hero", in a speech to the Royal Society, [[Margaret Thatcher]] declared: "The value of his work must be higher than the capitalisation of all the shares on the Stock Exchange!" She borrowed his bust from the Royal Institution and had it placed in the hall of [[10 Downing Street]].<ref name="Field"/>

==Awards named in Faraday's honour==
In honor and remembrance of his great scientific contributions, several institutions have created prizes and awards in his name. This include:
* The [[Institution of Engineering and Technology|IET]] [[Faraday Medal]]<ref>{{cite news |title=IET Faraday Medal|url=https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/iet-faraday-medal |access-date=20 July 2022 |publisher=St John's College Cambridge}}</ref>
* The [[Royal Society of London Michael Faraday Prize]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/michael-faraday-prize/|title=Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture &#124; Royal Society|website=royalsociety.org|date=30 November 2023 }}</ref>
* The Institute of Physics [[Michael Faraday Medal and Prize]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iop.org/about/awards/gold-medals|title=Gold Medals|website=Gold Medals &#124; Institute of Physics}}</ref>
* The Royal Society of Chemistry Faraday Lectureship Prize<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/FaradayLectureshipPrize/|title=RSC Faraday Lectureship Prize|website=www.rsc.org}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Michael Faraday (1791-1867).jpg|Portrait of young Michael Faraday, {{circa|1826}}
File:M Faraday Lab H Moore.jpg|Michael Faraday in his laboratory, {{circa|1850s}}
File:Royal Institution - Michael Faraday's study.jpg|Michael Faraday's study at the Royal Institution
File:Michael Faradays Flat at Royal Institution.jpg|Michael Faraday's flat at the Royal Institution
File:Harriett Moore small.jpg|Artist [[Harriet Jane Moore]] who documented Faraday's life in watercolours
</gallery>

==Bibliography==
[[File:Michael Faraday 1828 Chemische Manipulation.jpg|thumb|upright|''Chemische Manipulation'', 1828]]
{{library resources box|by=yes|onlinebooksby=yes|onlinebooks=yes|viaf=38158158}}
Faraday's books, with the exception of ''Chemical Manipulation'', were collections of scientific papers or transcriptions of lectures.<ref>[[#Hamilton|Hamilton]], p. 220</ref>  Since his death, Faraday's diary has been published, as have several large volumes of his letters and Faraday's journal from his travels with Davy in 1813–1815.
* {{Cite book|ref=Faraday1827| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Chemical Manipulation, Being Instructions to Students in Chemistry | publisher=John Murray | year = 1827 }}  [https://archive.org/details/chemicalmanipula00fararich 2nd ed. 1830], [https://archive.org/details/chemicalmanipul04faragoog 3rd ed. 1842]
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Experimental Researches in Electricity, vols. i. and ii | year = 1839 | publisher=Richard and John Edward Taylor | url = https://archive.org/details/experimentalrese00faraiala }}; vol. iii. Richard Taylor and William Francis, 1855
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics | year = 1859 | publisher=Taylor and Francis | url = https://archive.org/details/experimentalrese00fararich}} {{ isbn | 978-0-85066-841-4 }}.
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = A Course of Six Lectures on the Chemical History of a Candle | editor = W. Crookes | year = 1861 | publisher=Griffin, Bohn & Co. | url = https://archive.org/details/chemicalhistoryo00faraiala}} {{ isbn | 978-1-4255-1974-2}}.
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = On the Various Forces in Nature | year = 1873 | publisher=Chatto and Windus | url = https://archive.org/details/onvariousforceso00farauoft | editor = W. Crookes}}
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Diary | editor = T. Martin | year = 1932–1936| publisher = G. Bell  }} {{ isbn | 978-0-7135-0439-2}} – published in eight volumes; see also the [http://www.faradaysdiary.com/ 2009 publication] of Faraday's diary
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Curiosity Perfectly Satisfyed: Faraday's Travels in Europe 1813–1815 | editor = B. Bowers and L. Symons | publisher=Institution of Electrical Engineers | year = 1991}}
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = The Correspondence of Michael Faraday | year = 1991 | volume = 1 | publisher=INSPEC, Inc. | editor = F.A.J.L. James| isbn = 978-0-86341-248-6}} – vol. 2, 1993; vol. 3, 1996; vol. 4, 1999
* {{Cite book| author=Faraday, Michael | title = Michael Faraday's Mental Exercises: An Artisan Essay Circle in Regency London | editor = Alice Jenkins | publisher=Liverpool University Press | location = Liverpool| year = 2008}}
* [https://archive.org/details/courseofsixlectu00fararich Course of six lectures on the various forces of matter, and their relations to each other] London; Glasgow: R. Griffin, 1860.
* [[s:The Liquefaction of Gases|The Liquefaction of Gases]], Edinburgh: W.F. Clay, 1896.
* [https://archive.org/details/lettersoffaraday00fararich The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836–1862. With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters] London: Williams & Norgate 1899. ([http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:061:2-15600 Digital edition] by the [[University and State Library Düsseldorf]])

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Faraday (unit)}}
* {{annotated link|Forensic engineering}}
* {{annotated link|Nikola Tesla}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of hydrogen technologies}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of low-temperature technology}}
* {{annotated link|Zeeman effect}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book|ref=Cantor| author=Cantor, Geoffrey | title = Michael Faraday, Sandemanian and Scientist | year = 1991 | publisher=Macmillan | isbn = 978-0-333-58802-4}}
* {{Cite book | ref = Hamilton | author = Hamilton, James | title = A Life of Discovery: Michael Faraday, Giant of the Scientific Revolution | year = 2004 | location = New York | isbn = 978-1-4000-6016-0 | publisher = [[Random House]] | url = https://archive.org/details/lifeofdiscovery00jame }}
* {{cite book|ref=Thomas|author=Thomas, J.M.|title=Michael Faraday and The Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place (PBK)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GN70U1tTe_EC&pg=PA17|year= 1991|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-7503-0145-9}}
* {{Cite book|ref=Thompson| author=Thompson, Silvanus | title = Michael Faraday, His Life and Work | year = 1901 | publisher=[[Cassell and Company]] | place = London | url = https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradayh00thomgoog}} {{ isbn | 978-1-4179-7036-0 }}.

==Further reading==
===Biographies===
{{div col}}
* {{Cite book| author=Agassi, Joseph | title = Faraday as a Natural Philosopher | url=https://archive.org/details/faradayasnatural0000agas | url-access=registration | year = 1971 | publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] | location = Chicago | isbn = 978-0226010465 | author-link = Joseph Agassi }}
* {{Cite book| author=Ames, Joseph Sweetman (Ed.) | title = The Discovery of Induced Electric Currents | volume = 2 | year = c. 1900 | publisher=[[American Book Company (1890)]] | location = New York }}
* {{Cite book| author=Bence Jones, Henry | title = The Life and Letters of Faraday| year = 1870 | publisher=J.B. Lippincott and Company | location = Philadelphia | url = https://archive.org/details/lifeandlettersf02jonegoog | quote=Faraday. | author-link = Henry Bence Jones}}
* The British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers Association (1931). ''Faraday''. Edinburgh: R. & R. Clark, Ltd.
* {{Cite book| author=Gladstone, J.H. | title = Michael Faraday | year = 1872 | publisher=Macmillan | location = London | url = https://archive.org/details/michaelfaraday06gladgoog| quote=Faraday. }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Gooding | first1 = David | last2 = James | first2 = Frank A.J.L. | author-link1 = David Gooding | title = Faraday rediscovered: essays on the life and work of Michael Faraday, 1791–1867 | publisher = Macmillan Press; Stockton Press | location = Basingstoke, Hants, England; New York | year = 1985 | isbn = 978-0-333-39320-8 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Gooding | first1 = David | last2 = Cantor | first2 = Geoffrey | last3 = James | first3 = Frank A. J. L. | author-link1 = David Gooding | author-link2 = Geoffrey Cantor (academic) | title = Michael Faraday | publisher = Humanity Books | location = Amherst, New York | year = 1996 | isbn = 978-1-57392-556-3 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Gooding | first1 = David | last2 = Tweney | first2 = Ryan D. | author-link1 = David Gooding | title = Michael Faraday's 'Chemical notes, hints, suggestions, and objects of pursuit' of 1822 | publisher = P. Peregrinus in association with the [[Institution of Engineering and Technology]] | location = London | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0-86341-255-4 }}
* {{Cite book| author=Hamilton, James | title = Faraday: The Life | year = 2002 | location = London | publisher=Harper Collins | isbn = 978-0-00-716376-2}}
* {{Cite book| author=Hirshfeld, Alan W. | title = The Electric Life of Michael Faraday | year = 2006 | publisher=[[Walker and Company]] | isbn = 978-0-8027-1470-1 }}
* {{Cite book | author = [[Colin A. Russell|Russell, Colin A.]] (Ed. [[Owen Gingerich]]) | title = Michael Faraday: Physics and Faith (Oxford Portraits in Science Series) | year = 2000 | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-19-511763-9 | url = https://archive.org/details/michaelfaraday00coli }}
* {{Cite book| author=Thomas, John Meurig  | title = Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place | year = 1991 | publisher=Hilger| location = Bristol | isbn = 978-0-7503-0145-9| author-link = John Meurig Thomas }}
* {{Cite book| author=Tyndall, John | title = Faraday as a Discoverer | year = 1868 | publisher=[[Longmans, Green, and Company]] | location = London | url = https://archive.org/details/faradayasdiscove00tyndrich}}
* {{Cite book| author=Williams, L. Pearce | title = Michael Faraday: A Biography | url=https://archive.org/details/michaelfaradaybi00will | url-access=registration | year = 1965 | publisher=Basic Books | location = New York | author-link = L. Pearce Williams }}
{{div col end}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}

===Biographies===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040312015850/http://www.rigb.org/rimain/heritage/faradaypage.jsp Biography at The Royal Institution of Great Britain]
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1225 Faraday as a Discoverer by John Tyndall, Project Gutenberg] (downloads)
* [http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/1991/PSCF6-91Eichman.html The Christian Character of Michael Faraday]
* [https://archive.org/details/lifediscoverieso00crowrich The Life and Discoveries of Michael Faraday] by J. A. Crowther, London: [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]], 1920

===Others===
* {{Gutenberg author |id=5541| name=Michael Faraday}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Michael Faraday |sopt=t}}
* {{Librivox author |id=1940}}
* [https://epsilon.ac.uk/search?sort=date;f1-collection=Michael%20Faraday Complete Correspondence of Michael Faraday] Searchable full texts of all letters to and from Faraday, based on the standard edition by Frank James
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060516234558/http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/video/index.rss Video Podcast] with Sir [[John Cadogan]] talking about Benzene since Faraday
* [https://archive.org/details/lettersoffaraday00fararich The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836–1862. With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters (1899)] full download [https://archive.org/download/lettersoffaraday00fararich/lettersoffaraday00fararich.pdf PDF]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090106205502/http://www.newmodelschool.co.uk/faraday Faraday School, located on Trinity Buoy Wharf] at the New Model School Company Limited's website
* {{YouTube|qVhiwi6AvQM|"Profiles in Chemistry: Michael Faraday"}}, [[Chemical Heritage Foundation]]

{{Michael Faraday}}
{{Scientists whose names are used as SI units}}
{{Scientists whose names are used in physical constants}}
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