MİCHAEL FARADAY
The famous British scientist "Michael Faraday" was born in London on September 22, 1791. His father worked as a blacksmith to provide for his 4 children while his mother worked as a housemaid. Michael Faraday's family belonged to a sect known as the Sandemancers and he lived his life as a devout Christian. Due to the family's very limited financial means, Michael Faraday did not have a long-term formal education. In this family struggling to survive in poverty, it was difficult even to feed themselves, while school and books were almost impossible.
His short education only helped him to learn to read and write and a little arithmetic. However, his love for reading books and his unstoppable curiosity became unquenchable with each passing day. The fact that he became a self-taught scientist in the midst of great impossibilities in a difficult life has brought along an admirable success and life story.
From Newspaper Distributor to Electrical Expert
In those years, he attended the Sunday school of the Church of England, where he learned to read, write and calculate. As the child of a very poor family, Faraday not only tried to improve himself but also tried to contribute to his family's livelihood. Faraday started delivering newspapers at the very young age of 14 and worked in this business for 12 years.
By reading the books brought for binding at his workplace, he managed to bring his knowledge to such a wide range despite his young age. Being from a poor family and living in poverty did not diminish his interest and curiosity one iota. With perseverance and diligence, he managed to enrich his knowledge without neglecting to read books whenever he had the opportunity.
Michael Faraday read a lot of books because he loved research and reading. He had a particular interest and enthusiasm for physics books. Faraday, who developed his curiosity and researcher characteristic by reading a lot of books, started to conduct experiments using scrap parts. The famous scientist Faraday, who developed his curiosity and knowledge rapidly day by day, was determined to uncover something by focusing on his research. The benefits in the production of electricity meters is one of the important developments.
Faraday married Sarah Bernard, a 23-year-old woman he met in the church he attended between all the intensity of his work. Sarah, like Faraday, was a devout Christian of the Sandeman sect. At the age of 19, Michael Faraday joined the City Philosophical Society, a group of young people who were interested in and loved science. John Tatum, the leader of this group, would hold meetings late into the night to explain the principles of electricity, chemistry and physics to curious and interested young people.
Meeting Humphrey Davy
In 1812, Michael Faraday had the chance to attend a public lecture by the famous chemist Humphrey Davy in London. Faraday, who was present at the conference, took long notes during the conference, compiled and organized these notes, bound the diagrams he had carefully drawn and sent them to Humhry Davy, the famous chemistry scholar of the time, with a letter requesting a job.
Humphry Davy was a leading chemistry expert in Europe at the time. Davy immediately appointed the 22-year-old bookbinder's apprentice, who managed to impress him with his interest and talent, when a laboratory assistant position became vacant at the Royal Institution. As can be seen, Michael Faraday's encounter with the chemistry scholar Humphry Davy was a major turning point in his life.
In 1813, Faraday found himself in an environment that he could not even dream of being a laboratory assistant at the Royal Institution of England, and now it would be time for him to achieve success. Davy lost his eyesight as a result of an accident. He decided to hire Faraday to be his secretary. Although Faraday was constantly despised by Davy's wife, he never lost interest in the lessons he received from his mentor. In 1825, Michael Faraday succeeded his mentor Humphry Davy as Director of the Royal Institution. In the same year Faraday discovered benzene, the most important discovery of his entire scientific career.
Faraday Goes Global
Davy took Faraday with him on his trips to Italy, Sweden and France as an assistant. Humphrey Davy's travels abroad lasted between October 1813 and April 1815 and he never left his assistant with him during these two years.
Michael Farady's presence with Humphrey Davy on these trips would bring him many positive things and give him the chance to find new opportunities. In a very short time, Faraday's fame would skyrocket and he would take his place in the world of science as a person of curiosity and talk among other scientists.
From now on, successes will start to come one after the other. Due to his outstanding achievements and well-equipped stance, Faraday was appointed a member of the Royal British Academy of Science 3 years later. His achievements began to follow one another very quickly and brightly.
With his hard work, research and great ideals, Faraday became a scientist dedicated to scientific institutions. As Director of the Royal Institute, Michael Faraday began to give free lectures for young students. He encouraged scientists like himself to do the same.
Faraday's aim was to help people who had no access to education. For his many works, Oxford University awarded him a degree in civil law in 1832. A crater on the Moon was even named after him to remind people how relevant and useful Michael Faraday's scientific contributions were.
Faraday's Contribution to the Electric Field
Until the 19th century, many different ideas were developed on the subject of electricity and many different and interesting ideas were put forward. Michael Faraday was the first scientist to deal with electricity under the name of force.
While his inventions and achievements followed each other, Faraday concluded this important invention by revealing that an electric current is generated by a strong magnet around an electric coil, which is accepted as the basis of electric motors, and put it into the service of humanity.
Faraday's later work realized for the first time that electricity can be converted into mechanical energy thanks to a cable system that can rotate in reverse around a magnet. Faraday devoted himself to serving humanity with new inventions by accelerating his work and research day by day.
After these developments, he accelerated his work in the field of chemistry for 10 years. Faraday managed to write his name in history as the first manufacturer of stainless steel. One of the issues that constantly challenged Michael Faraday was the idea of how to gain electrical energy from magnetism. His thesis and other studies on this subject were not successful.
"Sir Faraday" and Works
When Queen Victoria of England, the queen of that period, conveyed that she wanted to present him with the title of "SIR" by Queen Victoria of England, the queen of that period, due to these successful works and contributions to science made by Michael Faraday, Faraday did not accept this offer and replied that he wanted to live as a simple citizen.
Faraday responded negatively to the offer of Queen Victoria of England to become a "sir".
This extraordinary person, who devoted himself to science and service to humanity, never had anything to do with money and authority. He refused job offers from many industrialists and announced to everyone that he did not think of his inventions for making money.
"Faraday Effect"
Michael Faraday introduced two laws of electrolysis into the scientific literature under his own name. He made a gift to science by finding the so-called "Michael Faraday effect". As well as being the creator of terms such as electrolysis, electrode, electrolyte, cathode, anode, he established electrochemistry on scientific foundations by determining the laws of electrolysis, which are now known by his name.
Michael Faraday was the first scientist to succeed in liquefying chlorine gas. Faraday, who invented the electric motor as a result of his long studies, also found the basic principles of electrolysis. Another critical contribution of Faraday to the world of science is the precise definition of the unit of current called "Ampere".
When we look at Faraday's upbringing, his achievements and services to humanity become more meaningful and greater in our eyes. Another important contribution that gives Michael Faraday a superior position is that he introduced the concept of field to science. This concept is not only for electromagnetic theory but also for Einstein's general theory of relativity.
The Effect of a Magnet on Light
Faraday made a breakthrough by adding a new one to his work and put forward the hypothesis that the magnet could have an effect on light, and after long experiments he actually proved that light was affected. It is known that polorized light can be rotated by means of a magnetic field, but the physicists of the time sort of ignored this phenomenon that Faraday had identified.
Faraday was not very interested in the practical consequences of his discoveries. But this does not mean that he was far from realizing the importance of those results. When the Prime Minister of the time asked Faraday what the dynamo could be used for, Faraday's answer is very meaningful. I don't know, but I can tell you that your Government may one day be able to tax it."
In recognition of his significant contribution to science and humanity, Michael Faraday was offered a burial site in Westminster Abbey by the King and Queen of England. Faraday declined this offer in favor of a modest burial. By 1855, Michael Faraday was getting old and could only conduct experiments sporadically.
One of them was trying to find an electrical effect that would be produced by an increase in molar weight. Faraday died in England on August 25, 1867, having completed his last work on the possibility that gravity, like magnetism, could possibly be replaced by another force.
KAYNAKÇA
https://www.sektorumdergisi.com/michael-faraday-biyografisi/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Faraday
https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/michael-faraday/