A Little Background on Electricity and Magnetism

 

Scientists studied electricity for hundreds of years, but we can thank two special men for making electricity easy to use.

In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered that electricity would flow through a wire coil if a magnet was moved through it. By doing this he showed us magnetism and electricity are related.  He discovered a way to produce an electrical current using magnetism rather than batteries.  Faraday's biggest contribution to science was the electric motor.      

In 1892, another famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, showed how to safely make large amounts of electricity and send it over great distances using alternating (AC) current (the type of power that comes out your wall socket). He constructed the first AC generator and transformer. Tesla's invention opened the door for the use of electricity in homes, businesses, and cities.

These men came up with ideas to allow us to use electricity and magnetism.  By studying electricity, maybe you will make a great discovery such as Faraday and Tesla did! 

Nikola Tesla

You may view a documentary on Michael Faraday to learn more about this scientist and his experiments.
Click here to view.

You may view a video explaining Tesla's invention 
 (You do not need to understand the formulas).