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Michael Faraday built the first primitive electric motor in 1821

A current-carrying wire rotating around a magnet demonstrated electromagnetic propulsion

English scientist Michael Faraday constructed a homopolar motor in 1821 by suspending a copper wire in a dish of mercury containing a permanent magnet. Passing electric current through the wire created a magnetic field that caused the wire to rotate continuously around the magnet. This experiment demonstrated electromagnetic rotational motion, laying the foundation for electric motor technology.

Portrait of Michael Faraday MET DP829484
George Richmond / Michael Faraday · CC0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

The Royal Institution

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Tags: faraday, electric-motor, physics

Michael Faraday built the first primitive electric motor in 1821: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
A current-carrying wire rotating around a magnet demonstrated electromagnetic propulsion. The figure is taken from The Royal Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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