ABHRAJIT DUTTA

XII-B

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO

FARADAY CAGES
PHYSICS HOLIDAY HOMEWORK
  WHAT IT IS

 MECHANISM OF THE FARADAY CAGE

 HISTORY BEHIND FARADAY CAGES

 FARADAY’S ICE PAIL EXPERIMENT

INDEX  OPERATION OF THE FARADAY CAGE

 APPLICATIONS OF THE FARADAY

CAGE

 IN POPULAR CULTURE

 EPILOGUE

 QUESTIONS
  A Faraday Cage, sometimes known as a Faraday
Shield, is an enclosed conducting shell that is used to
shield things from electromagnetic fields (both static
and non-static).

WHAT  They were invented by scientist Michael Faraday in

1836.

IT IS  They can be made from a continuous covering of

conductive material or from a fine mesh of conductive
material.

 They range in design and size from simple chain-link

fences to delicate looking fine metallic meshes.
MICHAEL FARADAY, INVENTOR OF THE FARADAY CAGE
 MECHANISM OF THE
FARADAY CAGE
In Faraday’s studies and experiments
regarding charge, magnetism, and their
interaction, he found that charge on a
conductor only resided on the outer surface.

Further, he discovered that nothing inside that

conductor was affected by any change in
electrical charge on the outside. 

The electrostatic repulsion of like charges

causes a redistribution of charge to the
outside of a conductor resulting in a net
electrostatic field within the conductor of
zero.

The Faraday cage uses this phenomenon to

form an enclosure which will have no electric
field inside.
It was Benjamin Franklin who
helped inspire many of the ideas
HISTORY
behind Faraday cages. In 1755, BEHIND THE
FARADAY
Franklin began toying
with electricity in new ways.

He electrified a silver pint can and CAGE

lowered an uncharged cork ball
attached to a non-conductive silk
thread into it. BEN FRANKLIN

He lowered the ball until it touched
the bottom of the can and observed
that the ball wasn't attracted to the
interior sides of the can.
Yet when Franklin withdrew the
cork ball and dangled it near the
electrified can's exterior, the ball
was immediately drawn to the can's
surface.
Decades later, Faraday, through his own
observations, realized that an
electrical conductor, when charged, exhibited
charge only on its surface. Faraday reaffirmed
this observation by lining a room with metal foil
and then charging the foil with the use of an
electrostatic generator. He placed
an electroscope inside the room, and the scope
indicated that there was no charge within the
room. The charge just moved along the surface
of the foil and didn't penetrate the room at all.
 For this experiment, Faraday connected an uncharged metal container
(ice pail) to an electroscope and lowered a charged metal sphere into
FARADAY’S the ice pail without touching its side.

ICE PAIL
EXPERIMENT
If the sphere is removed from the container at this stage, it is found to
Let’s understand an be still charged and the electroscope leaf goes back to the vertical
experiment Faraday did to position (first diagram). However, Faraday then allowed the sphere
confirm the phenomenon of
the Faraday Cage
to make contact with the inside of the container before being removed
(next two diagrams).

At the instant the ball touched the inside of the container, it was
noticed the position of the "leaf" of the electroscope did not change.
The charge on the sphere had neutralized the induced charge on
the inside of the sphere. When the sphere was removed from the
container the leaf of the electroscope still did not change its position.
The sphere (tested with another electroscope) was found to have lost
all its charge. 
 Faraday concluded that :-

CONTD. 1. An induced charge has the same magnitude as

the inducing charge.

2. The charge on a conductor remains on the

outside surface; there can be no net charge
inside a hollow conductor (either there are
equal quantities of opposite charge or there in
no charge). 

And through this experiment came the science

behind the working of the Faraday cage.
 The operation of the Faraday cage is based
OPERATIO
on the properties of a conductor in
electrostatic equilibrium.
N
 When the cage is placed in the presence of
OF
an external electric field, positive charges
remain in the positions network.
THE
 Electrons, however, that in a metal are free,
FARADAY
they begin to move because they act on a
given force by F = eEext , where e is the
CAGE
electron charge.

 As the electron charge is negative, electrons move in opposite to the

electric field direction. Although the total load of the conductor is
zero, one side of the cage (in which electrons are accumulated)
remains with negatively charged, while the other side is positively
charged. This displacement causes loads inside the cage an electric
field in the opposite direction to the external field.

 As inside the cage no field, no charge. can pass through; therefore it is

used to protect electrical charges devices. The phenomenon is called
electrical screening.
 Microwave: The metal shell in the microwave oven acts as a
Faraday cage, and prevents the microwaves inside the oven from
leaking into the environment.

EMI shielding for Electronic Equipment: It is important to protect

various electronic equipment from the electromagnetic radiation
coming from other electronic units present in the environment.
Coaxial cables used for television generally consist of a copper
braided shield underneath the PVC jacket that acts as a Faraday
APPLICATIONS cage to protect internal conductors.

OF Protective Gear for Electricians and Linemen: The protective suits

THE
worn by men working in hazardous environments are nothing but a
type of Faraday cage. These suits are designed to protect workers

FARADAY from being electrocuted while working in close proximity to high

voltage power lines.
CAGE MRI: Faraday cages are also used in MRI scan rooms to prevent
external radio frequency signals from causing any distortion to the
data coming from the patient.

Lightening Safety: The protective metal compartment of a car or

an airplane acts a faraday cage to protect its passengers from
external electric charges such as lightning.
APPLICATIONS
OF THE
FARADAY CAGE
(CONTD.)
•
FARADAY CAGE IN
THE X-FILES (TV Series)

• BETTER CALL SAUL (TV Series)

POPULAR MEDIA /
• FRINGE (TV Series)
ENTERTAINMENT
• PERSON OF INTEREST (TV Series)

• ENEMY OF THE STATE (Movie)

• TRANSCENDENCE (Movie)

• THE DARKEST HOUR (Movie)

• MR. ROBOT (TV Series)

• DOCTOR WHO (TV Series)

 EPILOGUE

The Faraday Cage was a revolutionary invention in the field of Physics. Unbeknown
to most of us, Faraday Cages occupy an integral part of our daily lives, for various
reas0ns, in almost all electrical devices we use. These cages harness a basic principle
of physics and help people all over the planet put those principles to use -- for safety,
luxury, convenience and to help further evermore exciting technological advances.

It's for this same reason that Faraday cages are a fond subject in the survivalist
subculture. These people, who preach self-sufficiency and mistrust of governmental
response in the face of human-caused or natural disasters, believe in shielding all
important electronics using homemade Faraday cages. In the event that
an apocalyptic cataclysm strikes, they'll still have their shortwave radios and other
high-tech tools that could be lifesavers. Even if you're not particularly concerned
with doomsday scenarios, Faraday cages likely play a role in your life every day. 
 Q1. Who was the creator of the Faraday Cage? When was it invented?
Q2.

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