James Clerk Maxwell FRSE FRS (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish scientist in the field of mathematical physics. His most notable achievement was to formulate the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, bringing together for the first time electricity, magnetism, and light as different manifestations of the same phenomenon. Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism have been called the "second great unification in physics" where the first one had been realised by Isaac Newton.
With the publication of "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field" in 1865, Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic fields travel through space as waves moving at the speed of light. He proposed that light is an undulation in the same medium that is the cause of electric and magnetic phenomena. The unification of light and electrical phenomena led his prediction of the existence of radio waves. Maxwell is also regarded as a founder of the modern field of electrical engineering.
He helped develop the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, a statistical means of describing aspects of the kinetic theory of gases. He is also known for presenting the first durable colour photograph in 1861 and for his foundational work on analysing the rigidity of rod-and-joint frameworks (trusses) like those in many bridges.
His discoveries helped usher in the era of modern physics, laying the foundation for such fields as special relativity and quantum mechanics. Many physicists regard Maxwell as the 19th-century scientist having the greatest influence on 20th-century physics. His contributions to the science are considered by many to be of the same magnitude as those of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. In the millennium poll—a survey of the 100 most prominent physicists—Maxwell was voted the third greatest physicist of all time, behind only Newton and Einstein. On the centenary of Maxwell's birthday, Einstein described Maxwell's work as the "most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton". Einstein, when he visited the University of Cambridge in 1922, was told by his host that he had done great things because he stood on Newton's shoulders; Einstein replied: "No I don't. I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell."
Publications:
- The Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field
- An Elementary Treatise on Electricity
- A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism
- Theory of Heat
- Matter and Motion
- On the stability of the motion of Saturn's rings
- Five of Maxwell's Papers
- On the Dynamical Theory of Gases
- Thomson and Tait's Natural Philosophy
- On the Equilibrium of Elastic Solids
- On Reciprocal Figures, Frames, and Diagrams of Forces
- Illustrations of the dynamical theory of gases
- Experiments on colour, as perceived by the eye, with remarks on colour-blindness
- On the Motions and Collisions of Perfectly Elastic Spheres
- On physical lines of force
- On the Stability of the Motion of Saturn's Rings
- On Double Refraction in a Viscous Fluid in motion
- On the theory of compound colours, and the relations of the colours of the spectrum
- The Bakerian Lecture — On the viscosity or internal friction of air and other gases
- On stresses in rarified gases arising from inequalities of temperature