In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction by showing that a changing magnetic field could generate an electric current. Joseph Henry independently observed the same phenomenon around the same period.

Faraday’s law captures that result mathematically: changing magnetic flux through a coil induces an electromotive force. More coil turns and faster flux changes produce a larger induced voltage.

Heinrich Lenz later described the direction of the induced current, showing that it acts to oppose the change that produced it. James Clerk Maxwell eventually incorporated Faraday’s discovery into the equations that unified electricity and magnetism.

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