A5_4 Water Under the Bridge

Abstract

This paper looks into Michael Faraday’s attempted experiment in 1832 to determine whether he could detect a current from the interaction of the water in the River Thames with the Earth’s magnetic field. The possibility of using such a current to power a 60W light bulb is then investigated. The paper finds that the current measured in the experiment is minimal to the degree that it would not have been detected and it would be implausible to power a light bulb from the effect.