On the various forces of nature and their relations to each otherFaraday, Michael
Science
On the various forces of nature and their relations to each other
Faraday, Michael
Physics
I have here given you all the illustrations that time will permit me to
shew you of chemical affinity producing electricity, and electricity
again becoming chemical affinity. Let that suffice for the present, and
let us now go a little deeper into the subject of this chemical force,
or this electricity--which shall I name first--the one producing the
other in a variety of ways? These forces are also wonderful in their
power of producing another of the forces we have been considering,
namely, that of magnetism; and you know that it is only of late years,
and long since I was born, that the discovery of the relations of these
two forces of electricity and chemical affinity to produce magnetism
have become known. Philosophers had been suspecting this affinity
for a long time, and had long had great hopes of success; for in the
pursuit of science we first start with hopes and expectations. These
we realise and establish, never again to be lost, and upon them we
found new expectations of further discoveries, and so go on pursuing,
realising, establishing, and founding new hopes again and again.
[Illustration: Fig. 51.]
[Illustration: Fig. 52.]
Now, observe this: here is a piece of wire which I am about to make
into a bridge of force--that is to say, a communicator between the
two ends of the battery. It is copper wire only, and is therefore not
magnetic of itself. We will examine this wire with our magnetic needle
(fig. 51); and though connected with one extreme end of the battery,
you see that, before the circuit is completed, it has no power over
the magnet. But observe it when I make contact; watch the needle--see
how it is swung round, and notice how indifferent it becomes if I
break contact again; so you see we have this wire evidently affecting
the magnetic needle under these circumstances. Let me shew you that a
little more strongly. I have here a quantity of wire, which has been
wound into a spiral; and this will affect the magnetic needle in a very
curious manner, because, owing to its shape, it will act very like a
real magnet. The copper spiral has no power over that magnetic needle
at present; but if I cause the electric current to circulate through
it, by bringing the two ends of the battery in contact with the ends
of the wire which forms the spiral, what will happen? Why, one end of
the needle is most powerfully drawn to it; and if I take the other
end of the needle, it is repelled: so you see I have produced exactly
the same phenomena as I had with the bar magnet,--one end attracting,
and the other repelling. Is not this, then, curious, to see that we
can construct a magnet of copper? Furthermore, if I take an iron bar,
and put it inside the coil, so long as there is no electric current
circulating round, it has no attraction,--as you will observe if I
bring a little iron filings or nails near the iron. But now, if I make
contact with the battery, they are attracted at once. It becomes at
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