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After Hans Christian Oersted made his
incredible discovery, scientists began
asking an important question: Can
magnetism produce electricity?
You know what they discovered? It
can. British scientist Michael Faraday
proved it in 1831. All he had to do was
move a magnet.
When Faraday pushed a magnet
toward a coil of wire, electric current
flowed in one direction. And when he pulled the magnet away
from the wire, electricity flowed in the opposite direction.
Sounds simple, right? But it was an important discovery.
Why? Because most modern power plants use magnets to
make electricity. The current flows through power lines to our
homes. It lights up lamps, toasts bread, charges cell phones,
and much more. It’s hard to imagine life without electricity—
or magnetism.
Power to
the People
