Faraday, Michael

Faraday, FAIR uh day, Michael (1791-1867), one of the greatest English chemists and physicists, discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction in 1831 (see Electromagnetism). He found that moving a magnet through a coil of copper wire caused an electric current to flow in the wire. The electric generator and the electric motor are based on this principle. Joseph Henry, an American physicist, discovered induction shortly before Faraday, but failed to publish his findings (see Henry,… More »