---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Magnetic lines of force convey a far…"
description: "\"Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea than the phrase magnetic current or magnetic flood: it avoids the assumption of a current or..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg"
---

#  Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea…

![“Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea than the phrase magnetic current or magnetic flood: it avoids the assumption of a current or of two currents and also of fluids or a fluid, yet conveys a full and useful pictorial idea to the mind.” quote by Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg)

> “Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea than the phrase magnetic current or magnetic flood: it avoids the assumption of a current or of two currents and also of fluids or a fluid, yet conveys a full and useful pictorial idea to the mind.”

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes magnetic field lines as a clearer visual metaphor than “magnetic current” or “magnetic flood.”

**In simple terms:** Uses field lines to picture magnetism without implying fluid flow.

Key Takeaway

Prefer visual, non‑fluid metaphors for magnetic concepts.

Themes

physics visualization metaphor

Mood

inquisitive analytical

Type

educational scientific

When to use this quote

- teaching physics
- science communication
- educational diagrams

Key Concepts

magnetic fields visual thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How does visual metaphor aid understanding?
- What limits exist in using simple images for physics?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex electromagnetic phenomena.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flood/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Nomenclature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nomenclature/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [ Magnetic current is the same as electric current. Current is \[actually\] the wrong expression. Really it is not one current, they are two currents,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-leedskalnin/magnetic-current-is-the-same-as-electric-current-current-is-actually/)

Edward Leedskalnin

> [The forces are different up here at the continental divide. The magnetic lines of energy run in specific directions. The United States is divided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-forces-are-different-up-here-at-the-continental-divide-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We studied the light source in the direction of the magnetic force, we perforated the poles of the magnet; but even in the direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pieter-zeeman/we-studied-the-light-source-in-the-direction-of-the-magnetic-force-we/)

[Pieter Zeeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pieter-zeeman/)

> [All your names I and my friend approve of or nearly all as to sense & expression, but I am frightened by their length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-your-names-i-and-my-friend-approve-of-or-nearly-all-as-to-sense/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Your remarks upon chemical notation with the variety of systems which have arisen, &c., &c., had almost stirred me up to regret publicly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/your-remarks-upon-chemical-notation-with-the-variety-of-systems-which/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I have taken your advice and the names used are anode cathode anions cations and ions the last I shall have but little occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-have-taken-your-advice-and-the-names-used-are-anode-cathode-anions-2/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I propose to distinguish these bodies by calling those anions which go to the anode of the decomposing body; and those passing to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-propose-to-distinguish-these-bodies-by-calling-those-anions-which/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I have taken your advice, and the names used are anode cathode anions cations and ions; the last I shall have but little occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-have-taken-your-advice-and-the-names-used-are-anode-cathode-anions/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Analogue. A part or organ in one animal which has the same function as another part or organ in a different animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/analogue-a-part-or-organ-in-one-animal-which-has-the-same-function-as/)

[Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/)

> [That small word "Force," they make a barber's block, Ready to put on Meanings most strange and various, fit to shock Pupils of Newton……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/that-small-word-force-they-make-a-barber-s-block-ready-to-put-on/)

[James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/)

> [There is always the danger in scientific work that some word or phrase will be used by different authors to express so many ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-n-lewis/there-is-always-the-danger-in-scientific-work-that-some-word-or/)

[Gilbert N. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-n-lewis/)

> [Homologue. The same organ in different animals under every variety of form and function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/homologue-the-same-organ-in-different-animals-under-every-variety-of/)

[Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/)

> [There are all these interesting rules about asteroid nomenclature. Once you discover it, you have the right to name it, but there's a catch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-nugent/there-are-all-these-interesting-rules-about-asteroid-nomenclature/)

[Carrie Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-nugent/)

> [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/)

[Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/)

> [The combination of such characters, some, as the sacral ones, altogether peculiar among Reptiles, others borrowed, as it were, from groups now distinct from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-owen/the-combination-of-such-characters-some-as-the-sacral-ones-altogether/)

[Richard Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-owen/)

## More by Michael Faraday

> [All your names I and my friend approve of or nearly all as to sense & expression, but I am frightened by their length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-your-names-i-and-my-friend-approve-of-or-nearly-all-as-to-sense/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [It may be a weed instead of a fish that, after all my labour, I at last pull up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/it-may-be-a-weed-instead-of-a-fish-that-after-all-my-labour-i-at-last/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I ... express a wish that you may, in your generation, be fit to compare to a candle; that you may, like it, shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-express-a-wish-that-you-may-in-your-generation-be-fit-to-compare-to/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [All are sure in their days except the most wise ... He is the wisest philosopher who holds his theory with some doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-are-sure-in-their-days-except-the-most-wise-he-is-the-wisest/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Whereas, according to the declaration of that true man of the world Talleyrand, the use of language is to conceal the thoughts; this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/whereas-according-to-the-declaration-of-that-true-man-of-the-world/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I shall be with Christ, and that is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-shall-be-with-christ-and-that-is-enough/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Since peace is alone the gift of God, and as it is He who gives it, why should we be afraid? His unspeakable gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/since-peace-is-alone-the-gift-of-god-and-as-it-is-he-who-gives-it-why/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [If the term education may be understood in so large a sense as to include all that belongs to the improvement of the mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/if-the-term-education-may-be-understood-in-so-large-a-sense-as-to/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I cannot conceive curved lines of force without the conditions of a physical existence in that intermediate space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-cannot-conceive-curved-lines-of-force-without-the-conditions-of-a/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [“To day we made the grand experiment of burning the diamond and certainly the phenomena presented were extremely beautiful and interesting... The Duke's burning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/to-day-we-made-the-grand-experiment-of-burning-the-diamond-and/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Why will people go astray when they have this blessed Book to guide them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/why-will-people-go-astray-when-they-have-this-blessed-book-to-guide/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [ou can hardly imagine how I am struggling to exert my poetical ideas just now for the discovery of analogies and remote figures respecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/ou-can-hardly-imagine-how-i-am-struggling-to-exert-my-poetical-ideas/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [Tyndall, ... I must remain plain Michael Faraday to the last; and let me now tell you, that if accepted the honour which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/tyndall-i-must-remain-plain-michael-faraday-to-the-last-and-let-me/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I have taken your advice, and the names used are anode cathode anions cations and ions; the last I shall have but little occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-have-taken-your-advice-and-the-names-used-are-anode-cathode-anions/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I propose to distinguish these bodies by calling those anions which go to the anode of the decomposing body; and those passing to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/i-propose-to-distinguish-these-bodies-by-calling-those-anions-which/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

[Explore all 78 Michael Faraday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

## More Assumption quotes

> [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

Richard Doll

> [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/)

[Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/)

> [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/)

[Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/)

> [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/)

[Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/)

> [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/)

[Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/)

> [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/)

Philip Selznick

> [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/)

[Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/)

> [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/)

[Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/)

> [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/)

[Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/)

[Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea than the phrase magnetic current or magnetic flood: it avoids the assumption of a current or of two currents and also of fluids or a fluid, yet conveys a full and useful pictorial idea to the mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Faraday"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-better-and-purer-idea-than-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assumption"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-better-and-purer-idea-than-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d06/michael-faraday-8792_assumption_magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-bet_770214.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Magnetic lines of force convey a far better and purer idea than the phrase magnetic current or magnetic…” — Michael Faraday",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Faraday",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Magnetic lines of force convey a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-better-and-purer-idea-than-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/magnetic-lines-of-force-convey-a-far-better-and-purer-idea-than-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```