Joseph Henry
Early Life
Joseph Henry was born on December 17th, 1797 in Albany, New York. Both his mother, Ann Alexander Henry, and father, Joseph Henry Sr., were Scottish newcomers that taught their son the importance of diligence and hard work. Through his father's untimely death caused money issues, his grandmother in Galway, New York took young Joseph in. Joseph, now 13 years old, took apprenticeships with both a watchmaker and a silversmith. However, at the age of 16, Joseph found his passion for science. Specifically, after reading Gorge Gregory's Lectures on Experimental Philosophy, Astronomy, and Chemistry, Joseph wanted to "invest into a new world of thought and enjoyment". 1
Joseph Henry spent his next three years attending Albany Academy. Doing well above average, he found work afterward as a surveyor and tutor. However, after four years, he returned to Albany Academy to teach in mathematics and natural philosophy.
Joseph Henry married his cousin, Harriet Alexander in 1830 and later had 4 children.
Scientific Achievements
Joseph Henry is one of the American figurehead's of physics and was a well known scientist during his time. In 1831, he began working on electromagnetism. Detailed experiments trail on about his findings, and his bigger accomplishments in electromagnetism lead to the creation of the telegraph. Through many layers of insulated wires, he created an electromagnet he called the 'Albany Magnet'.
Albany Magnet
Henry's experimental magnet, it was the most powerful magnet at that time. Around 1825, William Sturgeon, worked on advancing past theories in electromagnetism by messing with how current affects wire wrapped around metal objects. Henry wanted to improve the loose electromagnets that Sturgeon had been working on. Instead of using bare wire to create his electromagnet, he used silk to wrap the wire before winding the wire around a base. He found that the insulated wire actually increases the lifting power of his magnet. Specifically by tightening the wire around the magnetic, Henry increased the number of loops he made with the wire which directly affect the magnetic field strength of the magnet. This is shown below where B is the magnetic field strength, N is the number of turns in the coil, I is the current through the wire, and L is the length of the magnetic circuit.
[math]\displaystyle{ {B{{=}}{NI\over L}} }[/math]
Examples
Be sure to show all steps in your solution and include diagrams whenever possible
Simple
Middling
Difficult
Connectedness
- How is this topic connected to something that you are interested in?
- How is it connected to your major?
- Is there an interesting industrial application?
History
Put this idea in historical context. Give the reader the Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
See also
Are there related topics or categories in this wiki resource for the curious reader to explore? How does this topic fit into that context?
Further reading
Joseph Henry's Experimental Electromagnet
External links
Internet resources on this topic
References
This section contains the the references you used while writing this page