Michael Faraday: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Michael Faraday, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

Sliding a magnet through a coil of wire gave the world electric generators
In 1831, Michael Faraday found that moving a magnet in and out of a coil of wire induced an electric current in the wire, even though nothing ever touched it. That single discovery…
— Michael Faraday, Experimental Researches in Electricity
A metal mesh can block an electric field completely, even in a thunderstorm
In 1836, Michael Faraday showed that charge on a conductor sits entirely on its outer surface, leaving the inside electrically neutral. Build an enclosure from conducting mesh or f…
— Michael Faraday, Experimental Researches in Electricity

Five ideas worth knowing, every week