Michael Faraday's induction ring

Michael Faraday made the induction ring in his laboratory in the basement of the Royal Institution in August 1831. It's made up of: two long pieces of copper wire, insulated by cotton thread and material, wound around an iron ring. Making the induction ring was a tedious process which would have taken about ten days. Faraday had to wind the coils of wire on opposite sides of the ring and insulate them with cotton.

The induction ring may not look very complicated but it was a key discovery in the development of the modern world. Faraday discovered that when he passed an electric current through one coil he induced an electric current in the other coil, which flowed for a very brief period of time. He had created the first ever electric transformer, able to change the voltage of an electric current. Today modern transformers reduce high-voltage electricity generated by power stations to a lower voltage so that we can use it safely in our homes, factories and businesses.