Reading rank 419
Experimental Researches in Electricity
, subject: Faraday's collected papers on electricity, magnetism, and experimental method, 1839
Across three volumes, Faraday’s researches show a self-taught scientist working through determined experiment and close observation.
8
Coverage Score
2
Scored evidence
About the book
First collected in three volumes beginning in 1839, the work preserves Faraday's experimental approach to induction, electrochemistry, and electric and magnetic phenomena.
Why read it
Best if you are teaching yourself a field and want to see how a self-taught experimenter built knowledge through determined trial and close observation.
Key themes
- Experiment paired with observation
- A self-taught researcher’s method
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #83, #267
This record is supported by 2 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World — David says Edison avidly read all three volumes of Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity and uses the book to show how determined experiment and observation made Faraday an immediate hero and model for Edison.
- Thomas Edison — David describes Edison's encounter with Faraday's Experimental Researches in Electricity as a decisive event: Edison read through the day without sleeping, recognized a self-taught model in Faraday, and became determined to learn everything he could.