CPB - The Mechanical Universe…and Beyond (1986) Part 37 Electromagnetic Induction

The Mechanical Universe…and Beyond

This series helps teachers demystify physics by showing students what it looks like. Field trips to hot-air balloon events, symphony concerts, bicycle shops, and other locales make complex concepts more accessible. Inventive computer graphics illustrate abstract concepts such as time, force, and capacitance, while historical re-enactments of the studies of Newton, Leibniz, Maxwell, and others trace the evolution of theories. The Mechanical Universe helps meet different students' needs, from the basic requirements of liberal arts students to the rigorous demands of science and engineering majors. This series is also valuable for teacher professional development.

Part 37: Electromagnetic Induction

After Oersted's 1820 discovery that electric currents create magnetism, it was obvious that in some way magnetism should be able to create electric currents. The discovery of electromagnetic induction, in 1831, by Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry was one of the most important of the 19th century, not only scientifically, but also technologically, because it is the means by which nearly all electric power is generated today.