The First Ever Electric Motor!

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In 1822 the British scientist Michael Faraday, working at the Royal Institution in London, created the first electric motor, where an electric current was used to produce motion. The story goes that he made his discovery over the Christmas period, possibly on Christmas day. His version involved a wire dangling in a glass vessel filled with mercury, and he is supposed to have said 'there they go' when the motor started working.

Many years later, one of us (George Auckland) wanted to recreate this experiment for a television programme. Bill Coates, who was a 'science communicator, lecturer and technician' who worked at the Royal Institution, was given a mince pie by his wife on Christmas day in 1986, and he realised that an aluminium mince pie case together with a strong saline solution could replace the use of mercury in the original experiment.

Tim demonstrates this modern version, and in the middle of the pie case he is using a neodymium magnet, which of course is stronger than the original magnet that Michael Faraday would have used.

The battery is connected to both the pie case, which is sitting on a piece of aluminium foil, and the other terminal is connected to the wire that is holding the moving piece of wire that hangs down into the salt solution. The salt solution conducts electricity, which completes the circuit, and the wire revolves around the magnet. Reverse the direction of the current and the wire revolves in the other direction. Turning the magnet the other way up also reverse the direction that the wire revolves.

This motor didn't generate any useful power, but it demonstrated a principle, and it was not long before more useful motors were developed.

Fleming's left-hand rule, which Tim refers to, can be used to work out which direction the wire will move in.

Michael Faraday's subsequent discoveries included the induction coil or transformer, and also the generator. He effectively laid the foundations for the modern discipline of electrical engineering.

[tuativenatined]

Not only are these videos filled with weird and quirky toys but also very educational. Bravo! Truly extraordinary!

[bingus]

0:50 Tim almost broke character and revealed he's secretly American

[ThatACRGuy]

Joined watching this channel back in 2010, and I'm always amazed at what you have to show. Fun toys of history and even toys from my childhood that I had forgotten. Just want to say thank you Tim and your crew for the years of amazing videos and for bringing light to fun forgotten history. Thank you

[byrontheusurper]

This guy always reminds me of the best kind of Professor, the kind that knows everything there is to know about his field, knows how to and loves to convey that knowledge and casually rips jokes on the side, I love that energy!

[rwsh]

Here I see that I’ve been traumatized by @electroboom videos, as my ears began ringing before I realized the setup was inoffensive and safe, indeed.

[williamrobinson]

I recall an edition of The Eagle magazine annual from the late 1960s or early 1970s which had all sorts of things to do, including an electric motor with an armature etc, but this Faraday motor is much better to my way of thinking, as it's so much simpler and demonstrates the original principle itself. Marvellous! Thanks Tim. 🌟👍

[Hackercat]

I think this is awesome! It's little experiments like this which first made me interested in physics and now I'm far enough through I can understand the science behind them.

[jyp]

oh my.. I used to watch this channel several years ago.. tim you look still good!!! and the wow thingy still makes me wow. why did i forgot here

[kirbymarchbarcena]

Tim now shows his nerdiness and geekiness. Such an amazing guy.

[kyzercube]

Almost 100% accurate. The true first electric motor used mercury instead of a saline solution, but ofc a saline solution is much safer and easier to obtain 😜

[bikerbob]

Also left hand rule in maths. Thumb x index y middle z. So when you see me staring at my thumb in truly plotting something devious 🙃

[Marconius]

Also if you light a match next to the water it will go boom. Presumably.

[alphabeets]

Remarkable to think that humanity went from the invention of the very first electric motor to going to the moon in about 150 years.

[Seedyrom]

I was having trouble finding copper wire, so I threw a penny onto the pavement outside my local synagogue

[mikewalsh]

It's like Mr. Wizards world all over again!

[hullinstruments]

Reminds me of the awesome motor Rex Garrod made on "the secret life of machines". Always wanted to make one of those!

[Brekner]

We still invent plenty of amazing stuff, but there's something special about doing it with simple components like this and not circuitry and all that.

[saxarona]

The middle finger is for B field
The thumb is reserved for a force (or motion in this case)
The index finger is for current
You hold the fingers in this pose
If two fingers match their vectors
You know where the third one goes!

[SergeantButters]

I just finished my physics final on electromagnetism this is giving me PTSD o.O

[FuriKitten]

one of the funnest thing you can ever see is a bunch of 12-13 yr olds in a physics exam all trying to work out twisting their hands around bizarrely trying to orientate them to diagrams when thy reached the induction and motion section,