Faraday as a Discoverer

Abstract

First published in 1868, soon after the death of Michael Faraday (1791–1867), this short work assesses the discoveries made by a humble bookbinder who became one of the foremost scientific investigators of the nineteenth century. Eminently qualified, John Tyndall (1820–93), who received Faraday's support in taking up the professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution in 1853, gives an informed appraisal of a remarkable scientific career. The protégé of Sir Humphry Davy, Faraday went on to carry out pioneering work in the fields of electromagnetism, diamagnetism and electrolysis. Tyndall focuses here on Faraday's research, describing his influences and how he approached his investigations, although insights into his character are also incorporated: 'Underneath his sweetness and gentleness was the heat of a volcano.' Also reissued in this series are The Life and Letters of Faraday (1870), compiled by Henry Bence Jones, and John Hall Gladstone's Michael Faraday (1872).

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