Michael faraday (1791-1867) is a great British physicist and chemist.
Faraday was born in a small village in south London on September 22nd. His father, James, is a blacksmith, frail and ill, with little income, and can barely maintain the minimum living standard. According to Faraday's later memories, sometimes every member of this family lived on only one loaf of bread a week. Mr. and Mrs. James have four children, Faraday is the third. They love these children very much and are strict at the same time. They often educate children to be industrious and simple, not greedy for money, and to be an upright person, which has a great influence on Faraday's thought and character.
Because of poverty, the family had no money to send Faraday to school, so Faraday had no formal education when he was young, and only read a few enlightenment books. /kloc-when he was 0/3 years old, he had to deliver newspapers on the streets of London to supplement his family income. Laibo, a bookseller, likes this diligent and clever boy very much. In the second year, he was recruited as an apprentice by Nail Bookstore. In Laibo's Nail Bookstore, books waiting to be bound are piling up, and Faraday seems to have come to the sea of knowledge in Wang Yang. After nailing the book, he eagerly read all kinds of books and absorbed all the useful knowledge of his predecessors. The article about electricity in the Encyclopedia Britannica made him interested in natural science and determined to contribute his life to exploring the mysteries of nature.
Faraday not only read widely, but also tried to put book knowledge into practice. He made electrostatic motors from waste materials and conducted simple chemical and physical experiments. He always carries a notebook with him to record interesting phenomena he observes and his novel ideas at any time. Faraday also established a study group with his young friends, often discussing problems and exchanging ideas together. Not superstitious about books, paying attention to practice, especially scientific experiments, runs through Faraday's scientific activities throughout his life.
It is not easy for a poor bookstore apprentice without formal education to enter the hall of science. He has neither money nor time to go to school, so he can only attend classes in his spare time. 18 10, with the support of his brother, Faraday listened to a science lecture given by Tatum on Wednesday night, and also participated in the London Society of Urban Philosophy, a youth science organization led by Tatum. Through these activities, Faraday mastered the basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology and meteorology, and also learned some methods of scientific experiments, which laid the foundation for future research work.
A group of regulars attached great importance to Faraday's studious spirit and presented him with tickets to the Royal Academy, giving Faraday a chance to listen to the speech of the famous chemist David. He recorded all the contents of David's speech and discussed it with his friends one by one when he got back. 18 12, Faraday was introduced to David as a temporary scribe after his apprenticeship. David read Faraday's lecture notes and thought he was very scientific and learned. In March of the following year, David hired him as a laboratory assistant, and Faraday began his scientific career.
18 13 10 In October, Faraday followed David to travel to the European continent. During the whole trip, Faraday's public identity was a servant. He has to do a lot of work to serve David, and he is not even allowed to eat at the same table with David. But he doesn't feel inferior, and regards this trip as a good opportunity to learn. He met many famous scientists, participated in various academic exchange activities and learned French and Italian. Through this trip to the European continent, Faraday greatly broadened his horizons and increased his knowledge. As one of his friends said, "He (Faraday) went to college in Europe, and his teacher was a master he served and a celebrity who came in the name of David."
1865438+In April 2005, Faraday went all out to conduct scientific research immediately after returning to China. He collected all the information he could get, and made a detailed catalogue index and annotation. In the laboratory, he boldly carried out various experiments, sometimes even risking his life. Once he did a chlorine gas test, knowing that chlorine gas was toxic to human body, or inhaled chlorine gas himself to verify its nature. This spirit of adventure and hard work made Faraday stand out in chemical research. 18 16 He published his first paper "Analysis of Tuscan Caustic Lime"; 18 18 began to study alloy steel, and it was found that adding trace metal elements could affect the properties of steel, which paved the way for later research on alloy steel. 1820, he first prepared two kinds of carbon chloride by displacement reaction; Liquid chlorine1823; 1825, he was the first to separate benzene from liquefied petroleum gas, and in the same year he made an optical glass. These achievements made Faraday a famous chemist, and the court repeatedly asked him to identify the scientific and technical issues involved in the lawsuit. Although David was unfair to him out of jealousy, Faraday was elected to the Royal Society 1824 at the age of 33. The following year, he was promoted to the laboratory director of the Royal Institute.
In order to help solve the financial difficulties of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Faraday not only actively participated in the work of the Academy of Sciences, but also created regular scientific lectures at 1826, giving speeches to members of the Academy of Sciences every Friday night. Since then, this teaching method has been established as a system, which has continued to this day. By the time Faraday retired in 1862, he had given many speeches at 100. Some of the audience present were * * * members and elites, so this lecture had a positive impact on the science and education policy of * * * in Britain. In addition, in order to popularize scientific knowledge among young people, Faraday also opened a "Christmas lecture", and he gave 19 scientific lectures himself. Faraday is an excellent speaker. His concise and accurate language, easy-to-understand metaphors and wonderful and vivid demonstration experiments have aroused the interest and love of countless listeners for science, which is still fresh in people's minds many years later.
182 1 year, Faraday married the silversmith's daughter Sarah. Sarah has no education, but she is gentle and honest. She took good care of Faraday's life and health, giving him enough energy to do research. They have lived together for more than 40 years. Although there are no children, the feelings are very harmonious. Faraday made great achievements, including the contribution of his wife.
In addition to his achievements in chemistry, Faraday has also made great contributions to mankind in electricity. 1820, Danish physicist Oster discovered that electrified wires can deflect nearby magnetic needles, thus revealing the close relationship between electricity and magnetism. This discovery aroused Faraday's great interest, and he was determined to further explore its internal principle. After repeated experiments, Faraday successfully made the "electromagnetic rotation experiment" in 182 1 year. He used a simple device to prove that the electrified conductor and magnet rotate continuously with each other. In fact, this is the first device to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. Faraday became famous because of the success of this experiment, but he was not satisfied. Since electricity can produce magnetism, why can't magnetism produce electricity? Faraday has a view of natural philosophy. He believes that various natural forces are closely related and can be transformed into each other, so he firmly believes that magnetism can generate electricity. 1822, he wrote down the oath of "changing magnetism into electricity" in his notebook and decided to prove it by experiments.
Faraday began a series of experiments. He entered the laboratory early in the morning and worked until midnight 12. When he is too tired from work, he will read some literary works. He racked his brains and found nothing. Faraday didn't flinch in the face of difficulties. He believes that his idea will succeed and continues to experiment with confidence. After nine years, he finally saw a glimmer of hope. 183 1 on August 29th, 2008, when he switched on a set of coils on the iron ring, he suddenly saw the ammeter pointer connected to another set of coils moving. He repeated it several times, but the ammeter pointer was still swinging. He firmly grasped this new revelation, changed the experimental conditions and continued the experiment. After several weeks of continuous struggle, he finally announced on 183 1 year1October 17 that permanent magnets can be used to generate current and transform magnetic force into electric energy. This is the famous principle of electromagnetic induction. Using this principle, Faraday created the prototype of the first induction generator in the world.
Faraday's discovery of the principle of electromagnetic induction is an epoch-making great scientific achievement, which gives mankind the key to open the treasure house of electric energy and takes a big step on the road of conquering and utilizing nature. Later, according to the principle of electromagnetic induction, people made generators, motors, transformers and other practical power equipment, and established hydropower stations and thermal power stations, which made electricity widely used in various production departments and all aspects of life, which could not be separated from Faraday's great contribution. 193 1 year, the institute of electrical engineers held a grand international conference in London to commemorate Faraday's discovery of the principle of electromagnetic induction100th anniversary.
After making great progress in electricity, Faraday did not indulge in the glory that followed. He continued to explore and explore new fields. Faraday's experiment in 1832 proved that the nature of electricity is the same whether it comes from voltaic cell, friction method, thermocouple, electromagnetic induction or bioelectricity, thus clarifying the wrong understanding of the nature of electricity in physics circles at that time. 1834, Faraday proposed two electrolysis laws named after him, which laid a theoretical foundation for electrochemistry, electrolysis and electroplating industries. The terms he used, such as anode, cathode, electrolyte, cation and anion, are still in use today, and his name is named the unit of electricity in electrolysis. 188 1 year, German physicist Helmholtz put forward an important viewpoint that charge is a particle based on Faraday's law of electrolysis. Faraday also studied the characteristics of matter in electric field and found the dielectric constant of matter. To commemorate his contribution, the unit of capacitance was named "Farah".
Faraday found in his experiments that some phenomena could not be explained by traditional views. In the field of physics at that time, Newton's mechanical viewpoint of "action at a distance" was dominant, arguing that the transfer of object interaction did not pass through the intermediate medium. Facing the contradiction between theory and experiment, Faraday resolutely abandoned the traditional view. 1838, he put forward a new concept of electric power line to explain electric and magnetic phenomena, which was a major breakthrough in physics theory. Later, Faraday put forward the concept of magnetic field lines, which laid the foundation for the establishment of classical electromagnetic field theory. Later, the British physicist Maxwell used mathematical tools to study Faraday's theory of magnetic field lines, put forward the famous "Maxwell equations", and finally completed the classical electromagnetic theory.
Due to overthinking and fatigue, Faraday suffered from severe neurasthenia in 1839, which temporarily interrupted the study of electromagnetism. During his illness, he was not completely idle, but turned to the study of gas liquefaction and successfully liquefied several gases. A few years later, his health recovered slightly, and he continued his original research project. 1843, Faraday proved the law of conservation of charge with the famous "ice bucket experiment". 1845, he discovered the optical rotation of solids and liquids in a magnetic field, that is, the effect that a strong magnetic field makes the deflection surface of light rotate in the transparent body. The following year, he put forward the concept of electromagnetic field of light, revealing the close relationship between light and electricity and magnetism. In the same year, he also discovered the paramagnetism and diamagnetism of matter, and successfully explained it with the concept of magnetic field lines. 1850, he tried to establish the relationship between gravity and electricity through experiments. He said in the conclusion of the paper: "Now my experiment is over. The result is negative. But this did not shake my firm belief that there is a connection between gravity and electricity, although my experiments did not provide any basis for the existence of this connection. " Faraday's prediction was confirmed by the further development of physics. His belief stems from his consistent thought that nature is unified and there are internal relations among various natural forces. This dialectical thought shows that Faraday is ahead of his contemporaries in natural philosophy.
After 1950s, Faraday's health deteriorated further, and his energy and intelligence declined greatly, so he was forced to stop his research work. Even at this time, he often gives speeches to publicize scientific knowledge to the broad masses. 1862 After he retired from the Royal College, he lived in a house given by Queen Victoria at Hampton Palace in Surrey. 1867 On August 25th, the great scientist sat in a chair in his study and passed away peacefully.
Faraday's attitude towards people is amiable and generous; Be strict with yourself, correct mistakes immediately when you find them, and never whitewash them. Although he has won high honor and status, he has always maintained a modest and prudent attitude. In his will, he told his family not to hold a grand funeral, not to be buried in Westminster celebrity cemetery, but to be buried in an ordinary cemetery like ordinary people. After becoming famous, he was offered a well-paid job in a private enterprise, but he declined politely because he didn't want to affect the important research being carried out. He readily obeyed the scientific research task entrusted to him by the state without any remuneration. Although the country he served was not really for the benefit of the people, this attitude of being unpaid and contemptuous of money for the sake of science was very valuable compared with some people in the scientific community who were chasing fame and fortune at that time. His brilliant achievements in scientific research have had a great impact on the development of social production.
Faraday, the son of a poor blacksmith and an apprentice of a nail bookstore, overcame many difficulties through his own efforts and became a scientist who made great contributions to mankind. His dauntless spirit of perseverance, fear of setbacks and failures, and constant pursuit of scientific truth; He is not superstitious about books, starting from objective practice and attaching importance to the materialistic attitude of scientific experiments; However, his innovative spirit, which does not blindly worship authority and famous artists, is not confined to traditional views, and dares to put forward unique opinions, embodies the excellent quality and demeanor of a scientist, and is always worth learning and admiring by future generations.
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