Programme Outline
The story of how Michael Faraday, a self-educated, working-class boy became a world famous scientist. His discoveries laid the foundation for our modern age, which relies so much on electricity as a carrier of power and information.
00.00 – 01.42
What are human beings? Where have we come from? What is the world made of? What are the forces that control the Universe? These questions will be explored by Adam Hart-Davis.
01.43 – 05.33
Michael Faraday’s early life from his birth in 1791 at the start of the Industrial Revolution to beginning work with Sir Humphrey Davy at The Royal Institution at 22 years of age.
05.34 – 07.23
The beginnings of Faraday’s experiments with electricity. He followed the work of Benjamin Franklin America, Luigi Galvani in Italy, and the discovery that the two metals, copper and zinc, put together as plates would create a small amount of electricity. This led to the building of a ‘Voltaic Cell’ that would produce 25–30 volts of electricity.
07.24 – 10.04
The start of a new science around the world. Scientific information and discoveries began to be shared with the appearance of scientific journals. These led to a rapid growth in scientific knowledge and experimentation. Based on the work of a Danish scientist, Faraday began to explore the connection between electricity and magnetism. His experiments led to the invention of the world’s first electric motor in 1821. This principle of combining electricity and magnetism is used today – a modern example is the Eurostar train.
10.05 – 12.27
Faraday was fascinated by magnetism and he carried out experiments to explore magnetic forces. He knew that electricity and magnetism could be used to create motion. From these experiments, he began to investigate the idea of using magnetism and motion to create electricity. In 1831, Faraday discovered that by moving a magnet, he could create electricity by using an ‘induction ring’. This combination of motion and magnetism meant that electricity could be produced on a large scale.
12.28 – 14.12
A modern wind-powered turbine producing 1–1.5 megawatts of electricity. The world has Faraday to thank for harnessing the power of electricity.
14.13 – end
Working with electricity at The National Grid. The ‘Faraday Cage’ – the principle that there is no electric charge inside a hollow conductor leads to wearing ‘metal suits’ when working with very high voltages of electricity.
