Live from Michael Faraday’s Lab: An Intuitive and Historical Perspective on Electromagnetism

Dr. Ricketts recreates Faraday’s original experiments to share the history and the natural intuition that Faraday had, and most importantly, how you can use the Faraday approach to better understand the dynamics and effects of electromagnetism yourself.

Professor David Ricketts was at the Royal Institution in London Tuesday, May 24, where he live-streamed demonstrations of four of Michael Faraday’s key discoveries in the very lab he originally discovered them in. This event is sponsored by IEEE.

This webinar broadcasted directly from Faraday’s at the Royal Institution in London. This is the laboratory where Faraday invented the first electric motor, the first electric generator, the faraday cage, Faraday’s law of induction and his magnetic lines of force, which led (in part) Maxwell to his famous equations. Dr. Ricketts recreates Faraday’s original experiments to share the history and the natural intuition that Faraday had, and most importantly, how you can use the Faraday approach to better understand the dynamics and effects of electromagnetism yourself. In the spirit of Faraday, this lecture has no equations, no slides, only a close view of the experiments and understanding that changed our world. Viewers can also learn how to re-create many of the experiments through the lecture, including making a Faraday motor at home! Join Dr. Ricketts and Michael Faraday (in spirit) at the place where it all began, the Royal Institution, with this special IEEE MTT webinar.

Faraday was an English scientist who lived from 1791 to 1867. His contributions to science include the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Interestingly, Faraday received little education in his formative years. Faraday began attending chemical lectures led by Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute in London in his early adult life. His persistent attendance and admiration for the subject landed him a laboratory assistant for Davy. With his foot in the door of scientific research, Faraday was well on his way to legendary discoveries. Faraday’s electromagnetic discoveries began when conducting research on the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a direct current. Faraday also discovered an interactive relationship between magnetism and rays of light. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices provided the foundation for electric motor technology. He is largely to thank for the use of electricity in technology.

Ricketts received his Ph.D. in engineering and applied sciences from Harvard University and his BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Before joining academia, he spent eight years in the industry developing more than 40 integrated circuits in mixed-signal, RF and power management applications. Ricketts’ research crosses the fields of physics, materials science and circuit design, investigating the ultimate capabilities of microelectronic devices and how these devices are harnessed by differing circuit topologies to produce the highest performing systems.

Check out the webinar here to witness this fascinating intersection of history and science brought to you by our very own Dr. Ricketts!