The story of Motional EMF begins with the pioneering work of Alessandro Volta in the early 19th century. In 1801, Volta introduced the term “force motrice électrique” to describe the active agent of a battery, which he had invented around 1798. This term translates to “electromotive force” in English and marks the first use of … Read more
Lenz’s Law is named after the German physicist Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz, who formulated it in 1834. Lenz was not the first to notice the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, but he was the first to provide a clear and concise rule for determining the direction of induced currents in conductors. The early 19th century was … Read more
The early 19th century was an era of rapid progress in understanding electricity and magnetism. Before Faraday, scientists like Hans Christian Ørsted and André-Marie Ampère had already laid the groundwork by discovering that electric currents affect magnetic needles and that currents could attract or repel each other. Michael Faraday, born in 1791, was not formally … Read more
The story of hysteresis begins in the 19th century, but its roots stretch back to ancient times. The word “hysteresis” itself comes from an Ancient Greek word meaning “deficiency” or “lagging”. This term was chosen because it perfectly describes how certain materials react to changes not immediately, but with a delay, or lag. In 1881, … Read more
The story of magnetism began over 2,500 years ago with the discovery of lodestones. These are naturally occurring magnets, found in the Magnesia region, hence the name ‘magnet’. Ancient Greeks, including the philosopher Thales of Miletus, observed that these stones could attract iron pieces. During the Middle Ages, people began to understand more about magnetism. … Read more
The story of magnetism begins with an ancient and naturally occurring mineral called lodestone. This special rock had the mysterious ability to attract pieces of iron, and it was this property that first introduced humans to the concept of magnetism. The name ‘magnet’ itself comes from the Greek word “magnētis lithos,” which means “Magnesian stone” … Read more
The story of Earth’s magnetic field is as old as the planet itself. It’s a tale of discovery, mystery, and scientific breakthroughs. Long before the term “magnetic field” was coined, ancient navigators used lodestones, naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite, to navigate the seas. The Chinese were among the first to notice that these … Read more
The story of bar magnets begins with the discovery of lodestones, naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite, which were used by ancient civilizations for navigation. The term “magnet” comes from Magnesia, a region in modern-day Turkey, where lodestones were found in abundance. In China around 1000 CE, magnetized iron bars, known as lodestones, were … Read more
The moving coil galvanometer is a refined version of the original galvanometer, which was an early instrument used to detect and measure electric currents. The journey of the galvanometer began with the discovery by Hans Christian Ørsted in 1820 that a magnetic compass needle deflects when it is near a wire carrying an electric current. … Read more
The 19th century was a period of remarkable scientific discovery, particularly in the field of electromagnetism. Before this era, electricity and magnetism were thought to be unrelated phenomena. The real breakthrough came in 1820 when Ørsted, a Danish physicist, discovered that a compass needle was deflected when placed near a wire carrying an electric current. … Read more