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The electric field was formally defined as the force exerted per unit charge, but the concept of potential allows for a more useful and equivalent definition: the electric field is the local gradient of the electric potential. Usually expressed in volts per metre, the vector direction of the field is the line of greatest slope of potential, and ...
Faraday's law of induction (or simply Faraday's law) is a law of electromagnetism predicting how a magnetic field will interact with an electric circuit to produce an electromotive force (emf). This phenomenon, known as electromagnetic induction , is the fundamental operating principle of transformers , inductors , and many types of electric ...
For example, he saw transient currents when he quickly slid a bar magnet in and out of a coil of wires, and he generated a steady current by rotating a copper disk near the bar magnet with a sliding electrical lead ("Faraday's disk"). [9] Faraday explained electromagnetic induction using a concept he called lines of force.
In electromagnetism and electronics, electromotive force (also electromotance, abbreviated emf, [1] [2] denoted ) is an energy transfer to an electric circuit per unit of electric charge, measured in volts. Devices called electrical transducers provide an emf [3] by converting other forms of energy into electrical energy. [3]
The electromagnetic force is responsible for many of the chemical and physical phenomena observed in daily life. The electrostatic attraction between atomic nuclei and their electrons holds atoms together. Electric forces also allow different atoms to combine into molecules, including the macromolecules such as proteins that form the basis of life.
The gravitational and electromagnetic interactions produce long-range forces whose effects can be seen directly in everyday life. The strong and weak interactions produce forces at subatomic scales and govern nuclear interactions inside atoms. Some scientists hypothesize that a fifth force might exist, but these hypotheses remain speculative.
Electric charges produce a vector field called the electric field. The numerical value of the electric field, also called the electric field strength, determines the strength of the electric force that a charged particle will feel in the field and the direction of the field determines which direction the force will be in.
The principle, later called Faraday's law, is that an electromotive force is generated in an electrical conductor which encircles a varying magnetic flux. Faraday also built the first electromagnetic generator, called the Faraday disk; a type of homopolar generator, using a copper disc rotating between the poles of a horseshoe magnet.