Which scientist discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831?

Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831.

Faraday showed that changing a magnetic field near a wire could produce an electric current. In one famous experiment, he moved a magnet through a coil and observed a brief current. A stationary magnet produced no sustained current; the change in magnetic flux was the crucial feature.

This discovery provided the operating principle for electric generators and transformers. A generator converts mechanical motion into electrical energy, while a transformer transfers electrical energy between circuits and changes voltage. Faraday expressed the experimental law qualitatively; the mathematical form was later developed through Maxwell’s equations.

Faraday also made major contributions to electrochemistry and introduced concepts such as electric and magnetic lines of force. The SI unit of capacitance, the farad, is named after him, as is the faraday constant used in electrochemistry.