Faraday

[ far-uh-dee, -dey ]

noun

1. Michael, 1791–1867, English physicist and chemist: discoverer of electromagnetic induction.
2. a unit of electricity used in electrolysis, equal to 96,500 coulombs.

Faraday

¹

/ ˈfærəˌdeɪ /

noun

1. FaradayMichael17911867MEnglishSCIENCE: physicistSCIENCE: chemist Michael. 1791–1867, English physicist and chemist who discovered electromagnetic induction, leading to the invention of the dynamo. He also carried out research into the principles of electrolysis

faraday

²

/ ˈfærəˌdeɪ /

noun

1. a quantity of electricity, used in electrochemical calculations, equivalent to unit amount of substance of electrons. It is equal to the product of the Avogadro number and the charge on the electron and has the value 96 487 coulombs per mole F

faraday

¹

/ făr′ə-dā′ /

1. A measure of electric charge equal to the charge carried by one mole of electrons, about 96,494 coulombs per mole. The faraday is used in measurements of the electricity required to break down a compound by electrolysis.

Faraday

²

/ făr′ə-dā′,-dē /

1. British physicist and chemist whose experiments into the connections between electricity, magnetism, and light laid the foundation for modern physics. In addition to discovering electromagnetic induction, he invented the electric motor, generator, and transformer, and he discovered the carbon compound benzene.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Faraday¹

C20: named after Michael Faraday

Biography

The nineteenth century saw rapid growth in the understanding of electricity and magnetism, and much of this progress was due to Michael Faraday. There was no hint from his humble beginnings that he was to become a great scientist. Born in 1791, the son of an English blacksmith, Faraday received little formal schooling. At 14 he was apprenticed to a bookbinder, and it was during this time that he developed an interest in science. In 1812 he attended a series of lectures by Humphry Davy, the well-known chemist. Later in the year, Faraday sent Davy his notes on the talks, asking to become his assistant. When an opening became available, Davy took him on. Faraday, a truly gifted experimenter, started amassing an impressive body of work, converting electrical into mechanical energy (1821), liquefying chlorine (1823), and isolating benzene (1825). He made perhaps his greatest discovery—electromagnetic induction—in 1831, when he produced electricity from magnetism by moving a magnet inside a wire coil. Faraday also came up with the concept of electric and magnetic fields. When James Clerk Maxwell put Faraday's ideas into mathematical form (Faraday knew little mathematics), they became a cornerstone of physics. It was Faraday's research that helped transform electricity from a scientific curiosity into a workable technology. But he also transformed the language, helping to coin the words anode, cathode, ion, and electrode, among others. It is only fitting that there are now two words named after him: farad, the unit of capacitance, and faraday, a unit used to measure the amount of electrical charge.

Example Sentences

After all, Faraday has already burned through $2 billion without producing a vehicle, thanks to a variety of financial and operational problems.

From Fortune

Fisker hasn’t dealt with anything like the chaos at Faraday, but it is tarnished by arguably avoidable failure.

From Fortune

Faraday seemed to be just as much interested in this kind as in the other.

From Project Gutenberg

These discoveries of Faraday were all inventions, in the sense in which the word invention is used in this book.

From Project Gutenberg

It has been claimed by some that Henry discovered electro-magnetic induction before Faraday did.

From Project Gutenberg

Ten years later Faraday explained and applied the laws of Induction, basing them upon the demonstrations of Ampre.

From Project Gutenberg

The story of electricity, as men studied it in the primary school of the science, ends where Faraday began.

From Project Gutenberg