1
00:00:04,554 --> 00:00:06,388
Can you see me?
2
00:00:06,423 --> 00:00:08,424
Can you hear me?
3
00:00:08,458 --> 00:00:10,192
How?
4
00:00:10,226 --> 00:00:12,761
I could be
thousands of miles away,
5
00:00:12,796 --> 00:00:15,230
and yet, when you turn on
whatever device
6
00:00:15,265 --> 00:00:17,399
is bringing my image
and voice to you,
7
00:00:17,434 --> 00:00:19,201
I'm there.
8
00:00:19,235 --> 00:00:20,903
Instantaneously.
9
00:00:20,987 --> 00:00:23,205
How is that possible?
10
00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:25,274
To our ancestors,
11
00:00:25,308 --> 00:00:27,209
it would've seemed like sorcery.
12
00:00:27,243 --> 00:00:29,445
For them, speed of communication
13
00:00:29,479 --> 00:00:31,547
was only as fast
as the swiftest horse
14
00:00:31,581 --> 00:00:33,649
or sailing ships.
15
00:00:33,683 --> 00:00:37,486
Our messages travel invisibly
at the speed of light.
16
00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,322
How did we attain
such mythic powers?
17
00:00:40,356 --> 00:00:43,325
It all began in the mind
of one person.
18
00:00:43,359 --> 00:00:45,661
A child of poverty
19
00:00:45,695 --> 00:00:48,664
of whom nothing was expected.
20
00:00:51,334 --> 00:00:55,304
In fact,
if this man had not lived...
21
00:00:59,042 --> 00:01:02,511
...the world we know
might not exist today.
22
00:01:11,921 --> 00:01:14,289
¶ ¶
23
00:01:45,388 --> 00:01:47,823
¶ ¶
24
00:02:17,754 --> 00:02:20,189
¶ ¶
25
00:02:46,449 --> 00:02:48,116
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON:
Sooner or later,
26
00:02:48,151 --> 00:02:49,952
someone would've
likely figured out
27
00:02:49,986 --> 00:02:51,854
some of his discoveries.
28
00:02:51,888 --> 00:02:54,389
But if Michael Faraday
had never lived,
29
00:02:54,424 --> 00:02:56,358
we might still be living
30
00:02:56,392 --> 00:02:58,694
as our ancestors did
in the 17th century.
31
00:02:58,728 --> 00:03:00,395
Unaware
32
00:03:00,430 --> 00:03:03,799
of armies of invisible servants
awaiting our commands.
33
00:03:03,833 --> 00:03:06,735
This is the story
of how we learned
34
00:03:06,769 --> 00:03:09,538
to make electrons
do our bidding.
35
00:03:09,572 --> 00:03:11,607
In a way, it begins
36
00:03:11,641 --> 00:03:14,543
with the greatest genius
who ever lived--
37
00:03:14,577 --> 00:03:16,578
Isaac Newton.
38
00:03:21,584 --> 00:03:25,420
This is Woolsthorpe,
Newton's ancestral home.
39
00:03:25,422 --> 00:03:28,824
He walked these fields,
tormented by mystery.
40
00:03:28,826 --> 00:03:31,093
Newton, the man
who figured out the formula
41
00:03:31,095 --> 00:03:33,195
for the motions of the planets
around the Sun,
42
00:03:33,197 --> 00:03:34,863
wanted to know
43
00:03:34,865 --> 00:03:37,499
how does the Sun make
the planets act that way
44
00:03:37,501 --> 00:03:39,167
without touching them?
45
00:03:39,169 --> 00:03:41,703
How do all the apples
know how to fall?
46
00:03:41,705 --> 00:03:44,706
Another genius was puzzled
by another aspect
47
00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:47,276
of the same mystery.
48
00:03:48,878 --> 00:03:50,712
(water splashing)
49
00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:55,450
(speaking in German)
50
00:03:55,485 --> 00:03:56,952
You see, son?
51
00:03:56,986 --> 00:03:59,454
No matter how I turn
the compass,
52
00:03:59,489 --> 00:04:03,292
the needle always
points the same way.
53
00:04:03,309 --> 00:04:04,660
Except...
54
00:04:10,817 --> 00:04:12,267
But how?
55
00:04:12,335 --> 00:04:14,169
They do not touch.
56
00:04:15,505 --> 00:04:18,507
I didn't hear a
"thank you," Albert.
57
00:04:23,713 --> 00:04:25,981
ALBERT EINSTEIN:
I can still remember this.
58
00:04:26,015 --> 00:04:27,983
The experience made a deep
59
00:04:28,017 --> 00:04:30,452
and lasting impression on me.
60
00:04:30,486 --> 00:04:33,021
Something deeply hidden
61
00:04:33,056 --> 00:04:36,158
had to be behind things.
62
00:04:36,192 --> 00:04:39,328
Between the lifetimes
of Einstein and Newton,
63
00:04:39,362 --> 00:04:41,396
there lived another genius,
64
00:04:41,431 --> 00:04:43,665
one of equal stature.
65
00:04:43,700 --> 00:04:47,002
The man who solved the mystery
that stumped Newton,
66
00:04:47,036 --> 00:04:49,137
also laid the foundation
67
00:04:49,172 --> 00:04:51,740
for Einstein's
revolutionary insights.
68
00:04:51,774 --> 00:04:54,176
And for the way we live now.
69
00:05:00,516 --> 00:05:02,918
(birds chirping)
70
00:05:09,625 --> 00:05:13,161
(coughing)
71
00:05:13,196 --> 00:05:16,398
DEGRASSE TYSON:
In 1791, in a squalid slum
72
00:05:16,432 --> 00:05:18,500
in the suburbs of London,
73
00:05:18,534 --> 00:05:20,936
(baby crying)
Michael Faraday was born.
74
00:05:26,609 --> 00:05:29,611
He showed
little promise at school.
75
00:05:33,249 --> 00:05:36,585
Pray tell us
a word that begins
76
00:05:36,619 --> 00:05:38,587
with the letter R.
77
00:05:38,621 --> 00:05:40,589
Well?
78
00:05:42,959 --> 00:05:44,760
Wabbit?
79
00:05:44,794 --> 00:05:47,229
The word is "rabbit."
80
00:05:47,263 --> 00:05:50,766
Once again,
and correctly this time.
81
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,801
Wabbit?
82
00:05:52,835 --> 00:05:54,970
Do you mock me?
83
00:05:55,004 --> 00:05:56,872
Have I not told you how
84
00:05:56,906 --> 00:05:58,540
to pronounce the letter R?
85
00:05:58,574 --> 00:06:01,810
Surely you can at least
tell us your name?
86
00:06:01,844 --> 00:06:05,480
Michael "Fawaday," ma'am.
87
00:06:05,515 --> 00:06:07,616
Take this ha'penny,
88
00:06:07,650 --> 00:06:09,751
and buy me a cane,
89
00:06:09,786 --> 00:06:11,920
so that I may give
your insolent brother
90
00:06:11,954 --> 00:06:13,121
a proper flogging.
91
00:06:17,260 --> 00:06:19,294
(door opens)
92
00:06:28,704 --> 00:06:31,940
DEGRASSE TYSON: History does not
record that Michael Faraday
93
00:06:31,958 --> 00:06:34,443
ever attended school again.
94
00:06:37,780 --> 00:06:40,782
Faraday took his family's
fundamentalist Christian faith
95
00:06:40,817 --> 00:06:42,350
to heart.
96
00:06:42,385 --> 00:06:44,453
It would always remain
a source of strength,
97
00:06:44,487 --> 00:06:46,922
comfort and humility for him.
98
00:06:46,956 --> 00:06:50,525
He was sent to work at
a bookbindery at the age of 13.
99
00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,628
By day, he bound the books,
100
00:06:53,663 --> 00:06:54,796
and by night,
101
00:06:54,831 --> 00:06:56,965
he read them.
102
00:06:56,999 --> 00:06:59,367
It was the beginning
of a lifelong fascination
103
00:06:59,402 --> 00:07:02,537
with electricity.
104
00:07:16,085 --> 00:07:18,153
After years of working
in the bookbindery,
105
00:07:18,187 --> 00:07:20,455
Faraday, now 21,
106
00:07:20,490 --> 00:07:22,891
yearned to escape
to a larger world.
107
00:07:22,925 --> 00:07:24,292
His big break came
108
00:07:24,327 --> 00:07:25,794
when a customer
gave him a ticket
109
00:07:25,828 --> 00:07:28,697
to a sensational
new kind of entertainment--
110
00:07:28,731 --> 00:07:31,833
science for the public.
111
00:07:36,606 --> 00:07:38,740
And it started right here
112
00:07:38,774 --> 00:07:41,042
at London's Royal Institution.
113
00:07:41,077 --> 00:07:43,044
Humphry Davy was not only
114
00:07:43,046 --> 00:07:45,480
one of the leading scientists
of his day,
115
00:07:45,515 --> 00:07:47,883
he discovered
seven of the chemical elements,
116
00:07:47,917 --> 00:07:49,985
including calcium and sodium.
117
00:07:50,019 --> 00:07:52,320
He was also
a consummate showman.
118
00:07:52,355 --> 00:07:55,690
And primitive demonstrations
of electricity
119
00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:57,859
never failed
as a crowd pleaser.
120
00:07:57,894 --> 00:07:59,761
HUMPHRY DAVY:
May we have
121
00:07:59,795 --> 00:08:02,430
the lights lowered, please?
122
00:08:04,033 --> 00:08:06,168
I am about to unleash the might
123
00:08:06,202 --> 00:08:08,770
of the 2,000 massive
chemical batteries
124
00:08:08,804 --> 00:08:13,208
stored in the cellar
beneath our feet.
125
00:08:15,945 --> 00:08:20,015
And now, behold the power
of the mysterious force
126
00:08:20,049 --> 00:08:24,786
of electrical fluid
to illuminate our future.
127
00:08:26,756 --> 00:08:28,757
(crackling, buzzing)
128
00:08:31,627 --> 00:08:34,329
(audience gasps)
129
00:08:35,398 --> 00:08:37,399
(applause)
130
00:08:42,104 --> 00:08:47,075
DEGRASSE TYSON: Faraday was too
busy taking notes to applaud.
131
00:08:50,479 --> 00:08:53,815
Faraday created a transcript
of Davy's lecture.
132
00:08:53,849 --> 00:08:56,151
Using the skills he had learned
as an apprentice,
133
00:08:56,185 --> 00:08:59,554
he bound them into this book.
134
00:08:59,589 --> 00:09:03,225
Perhaps such a gift would
bring him to the attention
135
00:09:03,259 --> 00:09:05,260
of the great man.
136
00:09:13,636 --> 00:09:16,137
Maybe this gesture
could be his means of escape
137
00:09:16,172 --> 00:09:18,506
to a larger universe.
138
00:09:25,948 --> 00:09:27,616
Good day, sir.
139
00:09:27,650 --> 00:09:30,619
I wish you to deliver this
parcel to Sir Humphry.
140
00:09:38,327 --> 00:09:40,128
DEGRASSE TYSON:
It was a long shot, anyway.
141
00:09:40,162 --> 00:09:43,131
But Faraday hoped
something would come of it.
142
00:09:43,165 --> 00:09:45,667
And it did.
143
00:09:47,870 --> 00:09:51,406
Uh, the experiment
is ready for you now, sir.
144
00:09:57,413 --> 00:10:00,315
Ampere tells me that
poor Dulong lost an eye
145
00:10:00,349 --> 00:10:02,884
and three fingers
working with this.
146
00:10:06,589 --> 00:10:08,623
(screams)
147
00:10:08,658 --> 00:10:09,991
My eyes!
148
00:10:10,026 --> 00:10:11,259
My eyes!
149
00:10:19,068 --> 00:10:21,903
When a chemical experiment
blew up in the face
150
00:10:21,937 --> 00:10:24,706
of the world-renowned scientist
Humphry Davy,
151
00:10:24,740 --> 00:10:26,875
he remembered Michael Faraday,
152
00:10:26,909 --> 00:10:29,077
the lad who had gone through
such lengths
153
00:10:29,095 --> 00:10:33,381
to copy down and bind
the transcript of his lecture.
154
00:10:33,416 --> 00:10:35,700
You have a first-rate
memory, young man.
155
00:10:35,751 --> 00:10:38,386
And I shall have temporary need
of a secretary.
156
00:10:38,421 --> 00:10:42,257
Sir, I dream of a life
in service to science.
157
00:10:42,291 --> 00:10:45,026
I would advise you to stick
to the bookbinding.
158
00:10:45,061 --> 00:10:47,562
Science is a harsh mistress.
159
00:10:47,596 --> 00:10:50,398
Surely, a person
of your station
and modest means
160
00:10:50,433 --> 00:10:51,733
must have a trade.
161
00:10:51,767 --> 00:10:54,069
Trade is vicious
and selfish.
162
00:10:54,103 --> 00:10:57,739
Men of science are amiable
and morally superior.
163
00:10:57,773 --> 00:11:00,608
(scoffs) I take it
I'm the first man of science
164
00:11:00,643 --> 00:11:01,976
you've ever met.
165
00:11:05,281 --> 00:11:08,483
DEGRASSE TYSON: Faraday made
himself indispensable to Davy.
166
00:11:08,517 --> 00:11:10,919
The temporary job became
a permanent one,
167
00:11:10,953 --> 00:11:13,722
and the Royal Institution
became his lifelong home.
168
00:11:13,756 --> 00:11:17,292
By day, he assisted Davy
in the lab,
169
00:11:17,326 --> 00:11:20,562
at day's end,
he climbed the stairs
170
00:11:20,596 --> 00:11:22,163
to the little apartment
171
00:11:22,198 --> 00:11:25,200
where his beloved bride Sarah
was waiting.
172
00:11:26,769 --> 00:11:28,470
(thunder crashing, rumbling)
173
00:11:31,874 --> 00:11:35,443
Humphry Davy and the chemist
William Wollaston
174
00:11:35,478 --> 00:11:38,346
were experimenting with
a mysterious phenomenon,
175
00:11:38,381 --> 00:11:42,984
one with potentially
far-reaching implications.
176
00:11:43,018 --> 00:11:45,353
This is the identical setup
to Orsted's.
177
00:11:45,388 --> 00:11:49,457
Now close the circuit, Davy,
and watch closely.
178
00:11:49,492 --> 00:11:52,093
(buzzing)
179
00:11:52,128 --> 00:11:55,964
What could be driving
the needle away from the wire?
180
00:11:55,998 --> 00:11:58,366
Damned if I know.
181
00:11:58,401 --> 00:12:00,101
But it's as if
the electric current
182
00:12:00,136 --> 00:12:02,637
makes the wire behave
like some kind of magnet.
183
00:12:02,671 --> 00:12:06,007
Electricity must have something
to do with magnetism.
184
00:12:06,041 --> 00:12:11,112
Now if we could only get it
to turn continuously,
185
00:12:11,147 --> 00:12:13,214
imagine what might be
accomplished
186
00:12:13,249 --> 00:12:17,085
if we could put
these forces to work.
187
00:12:18,587 --> 00:12:21,055
After you've
tidied up, Faraday,
188
00:12:21,090 --> 00:12:22,390
you might see what
you can make of it.
189
00:12:22,425 --> 00:12:24,325
(quiet chuckle)
190
00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,327
DEGRASSE TYSON: Davy may have
been having a bit of fun
191
00:12:26,362 --> 00:12:28,329
at the expense
of his young assistant,
192
00:12:28,331 --> 00:12:30,665
but Faraday was on fire.
193
00:12:30,699 --> 00:12:33,668
Up to now, electricity had been
nothing more
194
00:12:33,702 --> 00:12:35,870
than an entertaining
novelty toy.
195
00:12:35,905 --> 00:12:38,573
It could make a light flash
for an instant
196
00:12:38,607 --> 00:12:40,842
or turn a compass needle
briefly,
197
00:12:40,876 --> 00:12:43,812
but it had
no practical application.
198
00:12:43,846 --> 00:12:47,982
Faraday immediately set about
designing the experiment,
199
00:12:48,017 --> 00:12:51,886
devoting every moment of
his spare time to the problem.
200
00:12:51,921 --> 00:12:54,088
If Faraday succeeded,
201
00:12:54,123 --> 00:12:57,492
he would be putting
an infinitely large, invisible,
202
00:12:57,526 --> 00:13:00,995
and as-yet-undiscovered army
of electrons
203
00:13:01,030 --> 00:13:04,599
at the command of human whim.
204
00:13:04,633 --> 00:13:08,169
How does a revolution begin?
205
00:13:08,204 --> 00:13:11,372
Sometimes it doesn't take much.
206
00:13:11,407 --> 00:13:14,676
A piece of metal,
a bowl of mercury,
207
00:13:14,710 --> 00:13:16,911
a bit of cork.
208
00:13:19,615 --> 00:13:21,566
Sarah dear,
send your little brother down.
209
00:13:21,617 --> 00:13:23,585
I'm about to try
something knew,
210
00:13:23,619 --> 00:13:26,020
and I want him
to see it.
211
00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:29,157
Why don't you do
the honors, Georgie.
212
00:13:31,293 --> 00:13:32,594
(buzzing)
213
00:13:32,628 --> 00:13:34,863
FARADAY:
There she goes.
214
00:13:34,897 --> 00:13:36,865
There she goes!
215
00:13:36,899 --> 00:13:39,901
(buzzing, whirring)
216
00:13:40,002 --> 00:13:43,705
¶ ¶
217
00:13:43,739 --> 00:13:47,442
DEGRASSE TYSON:
This was the first motor
218
00:13:47,476 --> 00:13:51,980
converting electric current into
continuous mechanical motion.
219
00:13:52,014 --> 00:13:54,315
Looks pretty feeble, right?
220
00:13:54,350 --> 00:13:56,584
But that turning spindle
221
00:13:56,619 --> 00:13:59,420
is the beginning
of a revolution,
222
00:13:59,455 --> 00:14:01,890
one that dwarfs
all the shots fired
223
00:14:01,924 --> 00:14:03,958
and bombs ever detonated
224
00:14:03,993 --> 00:14:09,063
in the sheer magnitude of its
effect on our civilization.
225
00:14:09,098 --> 00:14:12,433
Try to imagine
all the businesses,
226
00:14:12,468 --> 00:14:14,435
industries, technologies,
227
00:14:14,470 --> 00:14:16,804
transformations
of the way we live
228
00:14:16,839 --> 00:14:19,841
that have their beginnings
in that ecstatic moment
229
00:14:19,875 --> 00:14:22,977
in Michael Faraday's
laboratory.
230
00:14:23,012 --> 00:14:25,580
News of Faraday's invention
spread quickly,
231
00:14:25,614 --> 00:14:30,518
and suddenly, Davy's assistant
was the toast of London.
232
00:14:30,553 --> 00:14:32,854
Davy didn't take it well.
233
00:14:32,888 --> 00:14:36,357
He had, after all,
discovered all those elements.
234
00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,863
Now people were saying
that his greatest discovery
235
00:14:41,897 --> 00:14:44,632
was Michael Faraday.
236
00:14:44,667 --> 00:14:46,868
Davy made sure that Faraday
237
00:14:46,902 --> 00:14:51,306
wouldn't be making
any more headlines anytime soon.
238
00:14:51,340 --> 00:14:53,341
(door opens)
239
00:14:53,375 --> 00:14:55,310
You sent for me, sir?
240
00:14:55,344 --> 00:14:57,545
I have a new challenge for you.
241
00:14:59,014 --> 00:15:01,049
I want you to take
over our efforts
242
00:15:01,083 --> 00:15:03,918
to improve the quality
of British optical glass.
243
00:15:05,220 --> 00:15:06,554
Those damned Bavarians
244
00:15:06,589 --> 00:15:08,289
are running circles
around us.
245
00:15:08,324 --> 00:15:09,357
Glass?
246
00:15:09,391 --> 00:15:11,025
With all due respect, sir,
247
00:15:11,060 --> 00:15:13,628
I know nothing at all
of glass-making.
248
00:15:13,662 --> 00:15:15,830
Then you will learn, Faraday.
249
00:15:15,864 --> 00:15:18,566
We all know what
a quick study you are.
250
00:15:18,601 --> 00:15:21,903
Just analyze the chemical
composition of their glass
251
00:15:21,937 --> 00:15:24,906
and work backwards to
see how they made it.
252
00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:26,841
It shouldn't take you long.
253
00:15:28,410 --> 00:15:30,612
¶ ¶
254
00:15:33,382 --> 00:15:36,184
DEGRASSE TYSON: But Faraday
struggled for four years
255
00:15:36,218 --> 00:15:37,719
without any success.
256
00:15:53,902 --> 00:15:56,738
This is even worse
than the last batch.
257
00:15:58,073 --> 00:16:00,074
No matter how hard he tried,
258
00:16:00,109 --> 00:16:03,411
Faraday could not figure out
what Joseph Fraunhofer
259
00:16:03,445 --> 00:16:05,713
had discovered years before.
260
00:16:05,748 --> 00:16:09,717
What Faraday failed to grasp
was that casting
261
00:16:09,735 --> 00:16:12,520
perfect optical glass
for telescopes was a craft
262
00:16:12,554 --> 00:16:14,689
as well as a science,
and the masters
263
00:16:14,723 --> 00:16:17,592
in Bavaria kept their secrets
under lock and key.
264
00:16:24,566 --> 00:16:28,069
Faraday never did learn
their secret.
265
00:16:28,103 --> 00:16:30,538
He kept a single glass brick
266
00:16:30,572 --> 00:16:34,075
as a souvenir of this failure.
267
00:16:34,109 --> 00:16:38,813
Years later, it would change
the course of his life...
268
00:16:38,815 --> 00:16:41,015
and ours.
269
00:16:45,654 --> 00:16:48,022
¶ ¶
270
00:16:59,468 --> 00:17:02,804
Davy's death finally brought an
end to this fruitless project,
271
00:17:02,838 --> 00:17:05,773
and Faraday,
the boy from the slums,
272
00:17:05,808 --> 00:17:08,342
succeeded him
as Director of the Laboratory.
273
00:17:08,377 --> 00:17:12,013
Faraday used his new authority
to do something unprecedented--
274
00:17:12,047 --> 00:17:14,782
a series of annual
Christmas lectures on science
275
00:17:14,817 --> 00:17:18,052
for the young...
beginning in 1825
276
00:17:18,087 --> 00:17:20,688
and continuing to this day.
277
00:17:20,723 --> 00:17:23,591
¶ ¶
278
00:17:37,773 --> 00:17:39,907
¶ ¶
279
00:17:42,911 --> 00:17:45,546
¶ ¶
280
00:17:52,187 --> 00:17:54,722
At one of the first
Christmas lectures,
281
00:17:54,757 --> 00:17:56,891
Faraday enchanted his audience
282
00:17:56,893 --> 00:18:00,828
with displays of the new powers
that were at his disposal.
283
00:18:00,863 --> 00:18:04,565
Suppose I want to fire
a portion of gunpowder.
284
00:18:04,567 --> 00:18:06,334
I can readily do it
with the power
285
00:18:06,368 --> 00:18:07,835
of electricity.
286
00:18:07,870 --> 00:18:09,337
(explosion)
287
00:18:09,371 --> 00:18:11,873
(cheering, applause)
288
00:18:11,907 --> 00:18:15,610
If I receive electricity
through this conducting wire,
289
00:18:15,644 --> 00:18:17,945
I can then give it
to anything I touch.
290
00:18:17,980 --> 00:18:22,183
But I must stand on these
insulating glass legs
291
00:18:22,217 --> 00:18:25,453
to prevent the electricity
from going away into the floor.
292
00:18:26,955 --> 00:18:28,589
(buzzing, crackling)
293
00:18:28,624 --> 00:18:31,058
Now I am electrified!
294
00:18:31,093 --> 00:18:32,760
(excited chatter)
Whoa!
295
00:18:32,795 --> 00:18:35,763
¶ ¶
296
00:18:37,399 --> 00:18:40,134
Do you think I could light
this gas jet
297
00:18:40,169 --> 00:18:42,403
just by touching it
with my finger?
298
00:18:42,437 --> 00:18:43,571
No, don't do it! No!
299
00:18:43,605 --> 00:18:46,107
No! Don't! No!
300
00:18:46,141 --> 00:18:48,042
¶ ¶
301
00:18:48,076 --> 00:18:51,245
Now, mind you,
don't try this at home.
302
00:18:52,281 --> 00:18:53,881
(whoosh)
303
00:18:53,916 --> 00:18:55,750
(children cheering)
304
00:18:55,784 --> 00:18:58,820
And now, my children,
you have seen for yourselves
305
00:18:58,854 --> 00:19:01,389
how this invisible force
of electricity
306
00:19:01,423 --> 00:19:03,825
can be made to serve
new purposes
307
00:19:03,859 --> 00:19:07,428
utterly unattainable
by the powers we have now.
308
00:19:07,462 --> 00:19:09,931
(applause)
309
00:19:12,434 --> 00:19:14,168
(applause continues)
310
00:19:17,372 --> 00:19:20,408
The invention of a motor
that could work continuously,
311
00:19:20,442 --> 00:19:22,610
eliminating countless
human hours of drudgery,
312
00:19:22,644 --> 00:19:25,580
would be more than enough
to make you a fortune
313
00:19:25,614 --> 00:19:27,582
and land you
in the history books.
314
00:19:27,616 --> 00:19:30,184
But that's not how
Michael Faraday saw it.
315
00:19:30,219 --> 00:19:33,354
He had absolutely no interest
in patenting his ideas
316
00:19:33,388 --> 00:19:35,356
or personally profiting
from them.
317
00:19:35,390 --> 00:19:37,358
And as for the history books,
318
00:19:37,392 --> 00:19:39,594
he had only written
the first sentence
319
00:19:39,628 --> 00:19:42,363
of an entry that
would be many pages long.
320
00:19:42,397 --> 00:19:47,501
Mr. Anderson, may I ask you
to dim the lights, please?
321
00:19:47,569 --> 00:19:50,638
Gentlemen, I am about to induce
a current of electricity
322
00:19:50,672 --> 00:19:52,707
merely by moving a magnet.
323
00:19:52,774 --> 00:19:54,275
Please observe what happens
324
00:19:54,309 --> 00:19:56,844
in the gap between the wires
when I do so.
325
00:19:59,648 --> 00:20:00,982
(buzzing, crackling)
326
00:20:03,986 --> 00:20:07,355
Do you see how the current only
flows when the magnet is moving?
327
00:20:08,757 --> 00:20:10,291
This is the conversion
328
00:20:10,325 --> 00:20:12,426
of motion into electricity.
329
00:20:22,838 --> 00:20:24,906
This was the first generator.
330
00:20:24,940 --> 00:20:28,242
From here, electricity would
become available on demand.
331
00:20:28,277 --> 00:20:30,745
Faraday was continuing
to change the world
332
00:20:30,779 --> 00:20:32,847
and the way people lived,
333
00:20:32,881 --> 00:20:34,916
and then, suddenly,
334
00:20:34,950 --> 00:20:38,286
an illness attacked
his incomparable mind.
335
00:20:43,792 --> 00:20:45,826
FARADAY:
My dear Schoenbein,
336
00:20:45,861 --> 00:20:49,263
I would be very grateful to
have your opinion regarding...
337
00:20:53,869 --> 00:20:56,237
Regarding...
338
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,875
Dear Schoenbein...
regarding...
339
00:21:10,619 --> 00:21:14,121
My dear husband,
whatever is the matter?
340
00:21:14,156 --> 00:21:16,857
I began a letter
to Schoenbein
341
00:21:16,892 --> 00:21:19,794
and could not remember
what I meant to say.
342
00:21:19,828 --> 00:21:22,029
This is no cause for alarm.
343
00:21:22,064 --> 00:21:23,898
You work too hard.
344
00:21:23,932 --> 00:21:26,067
You're exhausted.
No.
345
00:21:26,101 --> 00:21:27,368
Sarah, this is different.
346
00:21:27,402 --> 00:21:29,370
Horribly different.
347
00:21:29,404 --> 00:21:32,907
It's the third time my memory
has failed me in as many days.
348
00:21:32,941 --> 00:21:35,042
I fear I'm losing my mind.
349
00:21:35,077 --> 00:21:37,345
And what would I be
without that?
350
00:21:39,014 --> 00:21:43,617
Why, my darling husband,
of course.
351
00:21:45,420 --> 00:21:47,388
When Faraday was 49,
352
00:21:47,422 --> 00:21:50,391
he began to battle severe
memory loss and depression.
353
00:21:50,425 --> 00:21:52,927
His work came to a standstill.
354
00:21:52,961 --> 00:21:55,296
And although
he never fully recovered,
355
00:21:55,330 --> 00:21:58,666
his greatest achievements
still lay ahead.
356
00:22:02,471 --> 00:22:04,905
(whooshing)
357
00:22:09,878 --> 00:22:12,213
DEGRASSE TYSON:
Fadaday
358
00:22:12,247 --> 00:22:13,848
had immersed himself so deeply
359
00:22:13,882 --> 00:22:16,017
in electrical
and magnetic experiments
360
00:22:16,051 --> 00:22:18,753
that he came to visualize
the space around a magnet
361
00:22:18,787 --> 00:22:22,456
as filled with
invisible lines of force.
362
00:22:22,491 --> 00:22:25,893
A magnet was not s simply
the magnetized bar of iron
363
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,294
that you could see.
364
00:22:27,329 --> 00:22:30,064
It was also
the unseen something
365
00:22:30,165 --> 00:22:32,700
in the space around the bar.
366
00:22:32,734 --> 00:22:35,202
And that something
he called a field.
367
00:22:35,237 --> 00:22:38,606
A magnetic field.
368
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,308
Faraday believed
in the unity of nature.
369
00:22:41,343 --> 00:22:43,711
Having demonstrated
the connections
370
00:22:43,745 --> 00:22:47,465
between electricity
and magnetism, he wondered,
371
00:22:47,516 --> 00:22:52,219
were these two forces also
connected to a third-- light?
372
00:22:52,254 --> 00:22:54,488
If he could only show
a connection
373
00:22:54,523 --> 00:22:57,291
among these three
invisible phenomena,
374
00:22:57,325 --> 00:22:59,827
one of nature's
most intimate secrets
375
00:22:59,861 --> 00:23:01,762
would at last be revealed.
376
00:23:01,797 --> 00:23:03,781
So, what did he do?
377
00:23:03,832 --> 00:23:05,633
He designed an experiment.
378
00:23:05,667 --> 00:23:08,669
Faraday knew that light
can travel as a wave.
379
00:23:08,703 --> 00:23:11,739
Waves of light vibrate
randomly in all directions.
380
00:23:11,773 --> 00:23:15,342
But there's a way to isolate
a single wave of light.
381
00:23:15,344 --> 00:23:18,345
It's called polarization.
382
00:23:18,380 --> 00:23:20,081
When light bounces
off a reflective surface,
383
00:23:20,115 --> 00:23:21,515
like a mirror,
384
00:23:21,550 --> 00:23:24,085
it becomes polarized.
385
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:25,953
Faraday wanted to see
386
00:23:25,987 --> 00:23:29,090
if that single ray of light
could be manipulated
387
00:23:29,124 --> 00:23:31,125
by the invisible magnetic field.
388
00:23:31,159 --> 00:23:33,661
The eyepiece contained
a crystal
389
00:23:33,695 --> 00:23:36,630
that acted as a kind
of picket fence for light.
390
00:23:36,665 --> 00:23:38,632
Light could only pass
through it
391
00:23:38,667 --> 00:23:41,102
if it was somehow moved
by the magnet.
392
00:23:41,136 --> 00:23:43,304
He placed a lantern
before a mirror,
393
00:23:43,338 --> 00:23:46,507
one that he would only see
through the eyepiece
394
00:23:46,541 --> 00:23:50,144
if its reflection could pass
through the picket fence.
395
00:23:50,178 --> 00:23:53,380
If this is hard to understand,
don't feel bad.
396
00:23:53,415 --> 00:23:55,316
Scientists could not explain
this phenomenon
397
00:23:55,350 --> 00:23:57,017
for another 100 years.
398
00:23:57,052 --> 00:24:00,054
Faraday knew that magnetism
had no effect
399
00:24:00,088 --> 00:24:03,023
on light
that was moving through air.
400
00:24:03,058 --> 00:24:05,292
But what about when it was
moving through other materials?
401
00:24:05,327 --> 00:24:07,661
So what kind of material
could he use
402
00:24:07,696 --> 00:24:10,297
to help the magnet
move the light?
403
00:24:10,332 --> 00:24:12,399
He tried hundreds of different
404
00:24:12,467 --> 00:24:14,435
transparent chemicals
and objects...
405
00:24:16,204 --> 00:24:19,173
...but saw nothing
through the eyepiece.
406
00:24:19,207 --> 00:24:21,809
The light was not twisted
by the magnet.
407
00:24:21,843 --> 00:24:24,678
He tried crystals of calcite,
408
00:24:24,713 --> 00:24:26,714
sodium carbonate,
409
00:24:26,748 --> 00:24:28,582
calcium sulfate,
410
00:24:28,617 --> 00:24:31,218
and still, he saw nothing.
411
00:24:31,253 --> 00:24:32,987
He tried acids.
412
00:24:33,021 --> 00:24:34,054
Sulfuric acid,
413
00:24:34,156 --> 00:24:35,890
muriatic acid,
414
00:24:35,924 --> 00:24:37,925
carbonic acid.
415
00:24:37,959 --> 00:24:39,393
He tried gasses:
416
00:24:39,427 --> 00:24:42,329
oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen...
417
00:24:42,364 --> 00:24:43,998
with no success.
418
00:24:44,032 --> 00:24:46,600
The magnetic field induced
419
00:24:46,635 --> 00:24:48,936
in these substances
could not twist the light
420
00:24:48,970 --> 00:24:50,437
from his lamp back into view.
421
00:24:52,207 --> 00:24:53,707
(buzzing)
Damn!
422
00:24:53,742 --> 00:24:55,543
(gasps)
423
00:24:59,814 --> 00:25:03,617
In desperation,
he decided to try...
424
00:25:03,652 --> 00:25:05,619
the glass brick,
425
00:25:05,654 --> 00:25:08,889
the souvenir
426
00:25:08,924 --> 00:25:11,792
of his years
of bondage to Davy.
427
00:25:20,769 --> 00:25:24,972
(buzzing)
428
00:25:24,974 --> 00:25:26,440
It did the trick.
429
00:25:26,474 --> 00:25:28,242
(gasps)
The force of the magnet
430
00:25:28,276 --> 00:25:29,977
twisted the light
431
00:25:29,979 --> 00:25:32,580
so that it could pass
through the crystal.
432
00:25:32,614 --> 00:25:34,932
So, what's the big deal?
433
00:25:34,983 --> 00:25:37,251
Faraday had demonstrated
the existence
434
00:25:37,253 --> 00:25:39,753
of the physical reality
that surrounds us,
435
00:25:39,854 --> 00:25:42,623
but which no one had ever
been able to detect.
436
00:25:42,657 --> 00:25:44,658
It was as dramatic
a breakthrough
437
00:25:44,693 --> 00:25:47,428
as seeing the cosmos
for the very first time
438
00:25:47,462 --> 00:25:48,762
through a telescope.
439
00:25:48,863 --> 00:25:52,499
By showing
that an electromagnetic force
440
00:25:52,534 --> 00:25:54,335
could manipulate light,
441
00:25:54,369 --> 00:25:57,771
Faraday had discovered
a deeper unity of nature.
442
00:25:57,806 --> 00:26:00,341
He had opened a door
for Einstein
443
00:26:00,375 --> 00:26:02,943
and all the physicists
who came after him
444
00:26:02,978 --> 00:26:04,745
to glimpse the interplay
445
00:26:04,779 --> 00:26:07,982
of hidden, primal forces
in the universe.
446
00:26:08,016 --> 00:26:11,085
Even as he approached
the summit of his genius,
447
00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,254
he was plagued by depression
448
00:26:13,288 --> 00:26:14,955
and doubts about his ability
449
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:17,291
to retain even
the simplest thoughts.
450
00:26:17,325 --> 00:26:21,328
FARADAY: My dear friend, I find
a difficulty in answering
451
00:26:21,363 --> 00:26:24,298
or even acknowledging properly
a scientific letter,
452
00:26:24,332 --> 00:26:27,468
for I cannot now hold it
at once in my mind.
453
00:26:27,502 --> 00:26:30,738
The memory
of the parts fail me.
454
00:26:33,508 --> 00:26:35,943
SARAH:
P.S. You will be sorry to see
455
00:26:35,977 --> 00:26:37,845
the tone of this short note,
456
00:26:37,879 --> 00:26:41,715
but my dearest husband is not
quite so well as usual,
457
00:26:41,750 --> 00:26:44,218
but I hope he will improve.
458
00:26:44,319 --> 00:26:47,321
Yours very truly, S. Faraday.
459
00:26:49,424 --> 00:26:52,826
As a young man,
Faraday had risen from poverty,
460
00:26:52,861 --> 00:26:55,296
in one of the most
class-conscious societies
461
00:26:55,330 --> 00:26:57,665
the world has ever known,
462
00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:01,568
to become the most celebrated
scientist of his time.
463
00:27:01,603 --> 00:27:05,172
By age 40, he had invented
the electric motor,
464
00:27:05,206 --> 00:27:07,875
the transformer, the generator,
465
00:27:07,909 --> 00:27:10,911
machines that would change
everything about the home,
466
00:27:10,945 --> 00:27:13,347
the farm, the factory.
467
00:27:13,381 --> 00:27:17,017
Now, at 60, decades after
the fertile periods
468
00:27:17,052 --> 00:27:19,253
of the greatest physicists,
469
00:27:19,287 --> 00:27:22,056
plagued by memory loss
and melancholy,
470
00:27:22,090 --> 00:27:25,159
he fearlessly probed deeper
471
00:27:25,193 --> 00:27:28,595
into the mysterious
invisible forces.
472
00:27:43,311 --> 00:27:47,348
The world thought that
Michael Faraday was a has-been.
473
00:27:47,382 --> 00:27:49,283
Despite his depression,
474
00:27:49,317 --> 00:27:52,619
he remained
as passionately curious as ever.
475
00:27:52,654 --> 00:27:54,188
Having discovered the unity
476
00:27:54,222 --> 00:27:56,690
of electricity,
magnetism and light,
477
00:27:56,725 --> 00:27:58,525
Faraday needed to know
478
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,329
how this trinity
of natural forces work together.
479
00:28:07,702 --> 00:28:10,003
¶ This is the way
the ladies walk... ¶
480
00:28:10,038 --> 00:28:11,605
DEGRASSE TYSON:
This was nothing new.
481
00:28:11,639 --> 00:28:13,207
Children had been playing
with magnets
482
00:28:13,241 --> 00:28:15,175
and iron filings for centuries.
483
00:28:15,210 --> 00:28:18,779
Everyone had always assumed
that this lovely pattern
484
00:28:18,813 --> 00:28:20,481
was just something
that iron did.
485
00:28:20,515 --> 00:28:22,349
Faraday knew
486
00:28:22,384 --> 00:28:24,985
that electric current
turns a wire into a magnet,
487
00:28:25,019 --> 00:28:27,354
so he expected
to find related patterns
488
00:28:27,389 --> 00:28:30,791
in iron filings around a wire
carrying electricity.
489
00:28:30,825 --> 00:28:32,960
(Faraday whistles jauntily)
490
00:28:32,994 --> 00:28:34,995
But where others saw merely
lovely shapes,
491
00:28:35,029 --> 00:28:38,699
Faraday saw something profound.
492
00:28:38,733 --> 00:28:43,170
The patterns were not simply
a quirk of iron filings;
493
00:28:43,204 --> 00:28:46,206
they existed in the space
around a magnet
494
00:28:46,208 --> 00:28:47,741
or an electric current,
495
00:28:47,776 --> 00:28:50,310
even in the absence
of iron filings.
496
00:28:50,345 --> 00:28:53,046
The patterns were the traces,
the footprints
497
00:28:53,081 --> 00:28:55,182
of invisible fields of force,
498
00:28:55,216 --> 00:28:59,853
that reached out into the space
around anything magnetic.
499
00:29:03,758 --> 00:29:06,693
The compass needle
that people wondered at
500
00:29:06,795 --> 00:29:09,430
for a thousand years
was not reacting
501
00:29:09,464 --> 00:29:12,065
to some far away
magnetic North Pole.
502
00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:14,601
It was detecting
a continuous force field
503
00:29:14,636 --> 00:29:17,304
that stretched
all the way there.
504
00:29:19,574 --> 00:29:23,010
Earth itself is a giant magnet.
505
00:29:23,044 --> 00:29:24,545
And like any other magnet,
506
00:29:24,579 --> 00:29:27,047
its lines of force
extend far out
507
00:29:27,081 --> 00:29:29,550
into the space surrounding it.
508
00:29:29,584 --> 00:29:32,686
They're everywhere,
all around us.
509
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,455
They've always been.
510
00:29:34,489 --> 00:29:37,224
But nobody had ever
noticed them before.
511
00:29:37,258 --> 00:29:40,127
Nobody human, that is.
512
00:29:40,161 --> 00:29:43,397
(birds squawking)
513
00:29:43,431 --> 00:29:46,400
Birds are the last living
descendants of the dinosaurs.
514
00:29:48,803 --> 00:29:50,938
Pigeons and other birds
are remarkably good
515
00:29:50,972 --> 00:29:52,873
at finding their way around.
516
00:29:52,907 --> 00:29:56,243
They can migrate thousands
of miles without getting lost.
517
00:29:56,277 --> 00:30:00,314
How? Partly by recognizing
familiar landmarks--
518
00:30:00,348 --> 00:30:02,716
rivers, mountains, stars.
519
00:30:02,750 --> 00:30:04,418
Even certain smells can serve
520
00:30:04,452 --> 00:30:07,588
as signposts
for migrating birds.
521
00:30:07,622 --> 00:30:10,157
But birds also have
an inner compass.
522
00:30:10,191 --> 00:30:13,393
They can actually sense
the Earth's magnetic field.
523
00:30:13,428 --> 00:30:17,164
Their brains process magnetic
data in much the same way
524
00:30:17,198 --> 00:30:19,766
ours process visual data.
525
00:30:19,801 --> 00:30:22,135
By sensing the direction
of the field,
526
00:30:22,170 --> 00:30:24,238
birds can tell north
from south.
527
00:30:24,272 --> 00:30:27,274
That's one way North American
birds know which way to go
528
00:30:27,308 --> 00:30:29,009
when they head south
for the winter.
529
00:30:29,043 --> 00:30:31,345
The field is stronger
near the poles
530
00:30:31,379 --> 00:30:33,180
than it is at the equator,
531
00:30:33,214 --> 00:30:36,783
a fact that birds use
to figure out their latitude.
532
00:30:36,818 --> 00:30:39,453
There are also small
irregularities in the field,
533
00:30:39,487 --> 00:30:40,921
locations where the field
534
00:30:40,955 --> 00:30:43,357
is a little weaker
or stronger.
535
00:30:43,391 --> 00:30:45,792
Just like a distinctive
mountain or river,
536
00:30:45,827 --> 00:30:49,830
these magnetic anomalies
can serve as landmarks.
537
00:30:59,641 --> 00:31:02,709
For thousands of years, humans
have used carrier pigeons
538
00:31:02,744 --> 00:31:05,612
to send messages
to distant locations.
539
00:31:05,647 --> 00:31:07,781
It was a crucial method
of communication
540
00:31:07,815 --> 00:31:09,650
as recently as World War II.
541
00:31:09,684 --> 00:31:11,351
When you think about it,
we've been using
542
00:31:11,386 --> 00:31:14,388
magnetic fields to communicate
for a long time.
543
00:31:14,390 --> 00:31:17,241
We just didn't know it.
544
00:31:25,366 --> 00:31:28,068
So why does our planet
have a magnetic field at all?
545
00:31:28,102 --> 00:31:29,836
What causes it?
546
00:31:29,871 --> 00:31:33,073
The answer lies
deep inside the Earth.
547
00:31:33,107 --> 00:31:36,243
Liquid iron, circulating around
the solid part of the core
548
00:31:36,277 --> 00:31:37,744
as Earth rotates,
549
00:31:37,779 --> 00:31:41,515
acts like a wire
carrying an electric current.
550
00:31:41,549 --> 00:31:43,350
And as Faraday showed us,
551
00:31:43,384 --> 00:31:45,919
electric currents
produce magnetic fields.
552
00:31:45,954 --> 00:31:47,521
And that's a good thing.
553
00:31:47,555 --> 00:31:49,923
Our magnetic field protects us
from the onslaught
554
00:31:49,958 --> 00:31:54,027
of cosmic rays, which would be
very damaging to our biosphere.
555
00:31:54,062 --> 00:31:57,297
Cosmic rays can rip through DNA.
556
00:31:57,382 --> 00:31:59,766
Without our magnetic field,
the rate of mutation
557
00:31:59,801 --> 00:32:01,935
in living organisms
would be much higher.
558
00:32:01,970 --> 00:32:06,106
Fortunately, most of this
cosmic shrapnel gets trapped
559
00:32:06,140 --> 00:32:08,875
in the Van Allen belts,
donut-shaped zones
560
00:32:08,910 --> 00:32:13,747
of charged particles corralled
by our magnetic shield.
561
00:32:21,456 --> 00:32:24,858
Knowing that the Earth itself
is like a giant bar magnet
562
00:32:24,892 --> 00:32:27,928
explains one of the most
beautiful sights in the sky,
563
00:32:27,962 --> 00:32:29,963
the aurora.
564
00:32:32,166 --> 00:32:34,735
Charged particles from the Sun,
the solar wind,
565
00:32:34,769 --> 00:32:37,571
are constantly bombarding
the Earth.
566
00:32:37,605 --> 00:32:41,108
You can think of the solar wind
as a kind of electric current.
567
00:32:41,142 --> 00:32:43,210
Our planet's magnetic field
568
00:32:43,244 --> 00:32:45,879
channels that current towards
the North and South Poles.
569
00:32:45,913 --> 00:32:47,714
When it hits our atmosphere,
570
00:32:47,749 --> 00:32:49,549
the oxygen
and nitrogen molecules
571
00:32:49,584 --> 00:32:54,287
in the air glow like
giant fluorescent lightbulbs.
572
00:33:15,543 --> 00:33:17,110
When Faraday pursued
573
00:33:17,145 --> 00:33:19,513
his last
and most profound discovery,
574
00:33:19,547 --> 00:33:21,515
the poverty
of his childhood stymied him
575
00:33:21,549 --> 00:33:23,266
as it never had before.
576
00:33:23,317 --> 00:33:25,018
He needed help
577
00:33:25,053 --> 00:33:28,221
and found it in one who had come
from another world.
578
00:33:40,768 --> 00:33:42,903
Michael Faraday
had solved the mystery
579
00:33:42,937 --> 00:33:45,072
that baffled Isaac Newton.
580
00:34:02,523 --> 00:34:06,259
This was how the Sun
told the planets how to move
581
00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,562
without touching them.
582
00:34:08,596 --> 00:34:10,764
The Sun does touch the planets
583
00:34:10,798 --> 00:34:12,599
with its gravitational field,
584
00:34:12,633 --> 00:34:14,935
and Earth's gravitational field
585
00:34:14,969 --> 00:34:18,338
tells the apples how to fall.
586
00:34:18,372 --> 00:34:20,440
(children laughing)
587
00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:30,600
All this is a dream.
588
00:34:32,286 --> 00:34:35,088
Unfortunately,
that was the prevailing view
589
00:34:35,123 --> 00:34:36,690
among his fellow scientists.
590
00:34:36,724 --> 00:34:38,959
Faraday was dreaming.
591
00:34:38,993 --> 00:34:40,594
They admired his inventiveness
592
00:34:40,628 --> 00:34:42,662
and his genius
for experimentation,
593
00:34:42,697 --> 00:34:45,499
but they regarded
his invisible "lines of force"
594
00:34:45,533 --> 00:34:48,969
and his ideas about light
and gravity as hand-waving,
595
00:34:49,003 --> 00:34:52,305
meaning there was nothing solid
to back it up.
596
00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:55,509
Some openly ridiculed
his theories.
597
00:34:55,543 --> 00:34:57,844
They needed
to see his ideas expressed
598
00:34:57,879 --> 00:35:00,313
in the language
of modern physics:
599
00:35:00,348 --> 00:35:02,015
precise equations.
600
00:35:02,049 --> 00:35:03,483
This was the one area
601
00:35:03,518 --> 00:35:05,152
where Faraday's
childhood poverty
602
00:35:05,186 --> 00:35:06,520
and lack of formal education
603
00:35:06,554 --> 00:35:10,123
actually held him back.
604
00:35:10,158 --> 00:35:12,826
He couldn't do the math.
605
00:35:12,860 --> 00:35:17,397
Faraday had finally hit a wall
that he could not overcome.
606
00:35:17,431 --> 00:35:20,000
And then, the greatest
theoretical physicist
607
00:35:20,034 --> 00:35:22,836
of the 19th century came along.
608
00:35:22,870 --> 00:35:27,007
James Clerk Maxwell was born
into a world of wealth
609
00:35:27,041 --> 00:35:28,575
and privilege,
610
00:35:28,676 --> 00:35:33,013
an only child
of doting middle-aged parents.
611
00:35:37,685 --> 00:35:40,854
By his early 20s,
he had made a name for himself
612
00:35:40,888 --> 00:35:42,589
as a mathematician.
613
00:35:42,623 --> 00:35:44,991
While other scientists had come
to think of Faraday
614
00:35:45,026 --> 00:35:47,427
as old-fashioned;
a great figure of the past
615
00:35:47,461 --> 00:35:50,263
but no part of the future
of physics,
616
00:35:50,298 --> 00:35:53,733
James Clerk Maxwell
knew better.
617
00:35:53,768 --> 00:35:55,735
He began by reading everything
618
00:35:55,770 --> 00:35:58,338
Faraday had written
on electricity.
619
00:35:58,372 --> 00:36:01,341
He became convinced
that Faraday's fields of force
620
00:36:01,375 --> 00:36:03,844
were real,
and he set out to give them
621
00:36:03,878 --> 00:36:06,813
a precise
mathematical formulation.
622
00:36:31,472 --> 00:36:33,840
¶ ¶
623
00:36:52,927 --> 00:36:55,729
An equation in physics
is just a shorthand description
624
00:36:55,746 --> 00:36:59,232
of something that can be
represented in space and time.
625
00:36:59,267 --> 00:37:02,669
For instance, the equation that
describes the arc of a pendulum
626
00:37:02,703 --> 00:37:07,507
shows that it can never swing
higher than its initial height.
627
00:37:22,857 --> 00:37:25,992
When Maxwell translated
Faraday's experimental
628
00:37:26,027 --> 00:37:30,096
observation on electromagnetic
fields into equations,
629
00:37:30,131 --> 00:37:33,033
he discovered an asymmetry.
630
00:37:34,302 --> 00:37:36,202
See that bottom one?
631
00:37:36,304 --> 00:37:38,838
It cries out for something else.
632
00:37:38,873 --> 00:37:40,840
Great mathematician that he was,
633
00:37:40,875 --> 00:37:44,311
Maxwell added a single term
to balance it.
634
00:37:44,345 --> 00:37:47,981
This tweaking of the equation
changed Faraday's static field
635
00:37:48,015 --> 00:37:51,851
into waves that spread outward
at the speed of light.
636
00:37:51,886 --> 00:37:55,188
It wasn't long before we found
a way to turn those waves...
637
00:37:56,891 --> 00:37:59,359
(over speaker):
...into couriers
638
00:37:59,393 --> 00:38:01,761
for our messages.
639
00:38:03,264 --> 00:38:05,165
Can you see me?
640
00:38:05,199 --> 00:38:07,567
Can you hear me?
641
00:38:07,601 --> 00:38:10,503
This is how.
642
00:38:15,376 --> 00:38:18,912
This technology has transformed
human civilization
643
00:38:18,929 --> 00:38:21,047
from a patchwork of cities,
644
00:38:21,082 --> 00:38:23,049
towns and villages
645
00:38:23,084 --> 00:38:27,087
into an intercommunicating
organism...
646
00:38:36,364 --> 00:38:39,432
...linking us at light speed...
647
00:38:45,439 --> 00:38:47,374
...to each other...
648
00:38:52,747 --> 00:38:55,148
(cheering)
649
00:38:56,450 --> 00:38:59,219
...and to the cosmos.
650
00:39:28,582 --> 00:39:30,550
¶ ¶
651
00:39:30,584 --> 00:39:33,820
FARADAY: Nothing is
too wonderful to be true,
652
00:39:33,854 --> 00:39:36,489
if it be consistent
with the laws of nature.
653
00:39:36,524 --> 00:39:36,489
Captioned by
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access.wgbh.org