A major change in the forest world

Chapter 14 Big Turtle Brother Researches Major Scientific Inventions in History

Since losing the election, Big Turtle has been plagued by all sorts of troubles, and he's been overwhelmed with problems every day. He hasn't had a good night's sleep or a decent meal.

Having finally found some peace and quiet, and in order to completely get rid of these troubles, he decided to shut himself in and study history and science, especially those groundbreaking scientific inventions.

It just so happens that there are a few members of the Eagle Clan, Eagle Clan, Berlin Bear Clan, and Goat Clan among his company's employees, so he gathered them in his office under the pretext of providing free drinks and they began to discuss major scientific inventions together.

In the giant tortoise's office, the long table gleamed. The red wine in the glasses, like a beautiful woman's lipstick, was alluring, its aroma wafting through the window. An eagle, a hawk, a Berlin bear, and a goat sat around the table, their tails unconsciously wagging.

He thought to himself, "Working for Brother Big Turtle is a blessing. Not only do I get free good wine, but I can also study past major inventions with Brother Big Turtle and add bricks to my knowledge."

The patterns on the giant tortoise's shell gleamed with a dark light as it slowly spoke: "Today, we won't learn from the new giant tortoise, nor will we talk about climate or carbon emissions. Instead, we'll discuss a truly momentous event that changed the forest world—Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction."

This is a landmark event, far more far-reaching than a hundred fires or ten floods.

The eagle shook its wings, and the wine glass clinked softly: "Oh? Electromagnetic induction? Sounds like a wizard's incantation; is it even more powerful than a steam engine?"

"A hundred times more powerful." The giant tortoise nodded. "Let's start from 1820. At that time, a man named Oersted discovered that an electric wire could make a small compass needle spin."

In other words, electricity can generate magnetism, a discovery that caused a sensation in the scientific community at the time.

The eagle tilted its head: "Electricity generates magnetism? Can magnetism generate electricity?"

"Good question." The giant tortoise laughed. "Many people asked the same question back then, including Faraday. But Faraday was a poor boy, a bookbinder by trade, but he refused to accept his fate and was determined to do scientific research. So from 1821 onwards, he spent every day in the laboratory, just to prove that 'magnetism can generate electricity'."

Berlin Bear gulped down a mouthful of wine and asked, "Ten years? How many failures would that take?"

"Ten whole years, my God," the giant tortoise said, emphasizing his words. "For ten years, I repeatedly wound and unwound the coils, replaced the magnets again and again, but the galvanometer needle just wouldn't budge. Some people laughed at his wishful thinking, and some advised him to give up."

But Faraday said, "Without bold conjectures, there are no great discoveries." He had a stubborn streak.

The goat, swaying its horns, asked curiously, "So how did it come about?"

"On August 29, 1831, perseverance paid off, and the turning point arrived." The giant tortoise paused for a moment, "On this day, Faraday took an iron ring, wound a coil on each side, connected one coil to a battery, and the other to a galvanometer."

He switched the switch on—suddenly! The galvanometer needle jumped! When he switched the switch off, the needle jumped in the opposite direction!

The eagle's eyes widened: "It moved? It really generated electricity?"

"Yes! But it only happens for a fleeting moment when the power is switched on and off. Although it cannot form a stable current, it at least shows that a changing magnetic field can generate electricity!"

The giant tortoise continued, "For the next two months, Faraday went on a crazy spree of experiments. He inserted a magnet into a coil and pulled it out—the pointer moved; he made a copper disc rotate next to a magnet—it continuously generated electricity! He called this phenomenon 'electromagnetic induction'."

The eagle listened intently: "It's that simple? Just plug it in, pull it out, and it gets electricity?"

"It seems simple, but it has caused a huge upheaval." The giant tortoise's tone became serious. "Before this, the world only had steam, fire, and human and animal power; with the advent of electromagnetic induction, mankind officially touched the lifeline of 'electricity'."

Berlin Bear slammed his fist on the table: "So, generators and motors all come from here?"

"Exactly right." The giant tortoise nodded. "Faraday built the first prototype generator—a rotating copper disc that produced electricity. Later, following this path, he built the real generator, transformer, and electric motor."

"The steam age is slowly fading away, and the age of electrification is arriving!"

The goat blinked. "Electrification? What does that have to do with our forest?"

"It's incredibly important," the giant tortoise laughed. "With electricity, we have lights, trams, telegraphs, and telephones; with electricity, factories no longer need steam engines, and machines run more smoothly and cleanly; with electricity, we later had radio, television, computers, and mobile phones—the entire modern forest world is built on the foundation of electromagnetic induction."

The eagle sighed, "So that's how it is. I only knew how to use electricity before, but I didn't know the root of the problem was here."

"What's even more impressive is the ideas," Big Turtle added. "Faraday proposed the concepts of 'lines of force' and 'fields,' which Maxwell later wrote into a set of equations, unifying electromagnetism and light, and predicting electromagnetic waves—which led to the later wireless communication."

"It can be said that without electromagnetic induction, there would be no modern physics, no modern industry, and none of the modern forest civilization we have today."

The eagle stroked its chin: "It's certainly significant! But... what about the future? How else can this thing be used?"

The giant tortoise smiled slightly and looked out the window: "The prospects are very promising. Let me tell you a few things."

"First, new energy sources: wind turbines and hydroelectric generators rely entirely on electromagnetic induction: the wind turns, the water turns, the coil cuts the magnetic field, and green electricity is produced. In the future, deserts, Gobi, and the sea will all be filled with this type of generator, which is clean and environmentally friendly."

Berlin Bear's eyes lit up: "Green electricity! Great stuff! Much better than burning charcoal."

"Secondly, wireless charging: mobile phones, watches, cars—no need for cables in the future, they can charge simply by being parked. It relies on electromagnetic induction coupling. There are even coils buried under the road, so the car is charging while it's moving, and there's no need to worry about power outages anymore."

The goat exclaimed excitedly, "That's so convenient! No need to search for charging stations everywhere!"

"Third, industry and medicine: electromagnetic induction heating is fast, accurate, and clean, and can be used in metal processing and medical equipment. There are also self-powered pacemakers—generated by the heart's beating, so they never need to have their batteries replaced."

Fourth, the Internet of Things and sensing: countless tiny sensors, powered by electromagnetic induction, transmit signals without batteries. The entire forest world is connected, and everything is interconnected.

"Fifth, aerospace and defense: electromagnetic guns, electromagnetic catapults, vibration energy harvesting, because the aircraft generates its own electricity and the rocket is lighter, so it is more powerful, and most importantly, it is environmentally friendly."

Big Turtle concludes: "Electromagnetic induction has been around for almost two hundred years, but its potential has not been fully explored. Energy, transportation, industry, medicine, communications, aerospace, and all other fields are still relying on it for upgrades; it is a true 'perpetual engine'."

The office was quiet for a moment, filled with the aroma of alcohol, but no one was in a hurry to drink.

The eagle sighed, "So a small experiment could change the entire forest world. Faraday was truly remarkable."

Diao nodded: "This patience, ten years of persistence, maintaining enthusiasm, never giving up, is something that ordinary people would find hard to do."

Berlin Bear praised, "Daring to think, daring to try, and being able to withstand failure—that's real skill."

The goat shook its horns and clenched its fist, saying, "I want to be like that from now on, never giving up on what I've set my mind to."

The giant tortoise slowly raised his glass: "Colleagues, whether it's climate change or technological change, what truly drives the world forward is this spirit of being curious first, daring to venture, daring to try, and persevering to the end."

Faraday spent ten years bringing about human electrification; today, we are discussing this together to find a more stable, greener, and sustainable development path for forest power.

"Come, let's drink to Faraday, to perseverance, and to our future!"

They stood up at the same time, raising their glasses. The crisp clinking sound was accompanied by sunlight streaming through the window, filling the corner of the room and falling into every pair of shining eyes.

The spark of electromagnetic induction, which has burned since the laboratory two hundred years ago, will continue to illuminate the forest's distant future and the wider world beyond!