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James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell.png
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879)
Born (1831-06-13)13 June 1831
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died 5 November 1879(1879-11-05) (aged 48)
Cambridge, England
Resting place Parton, Dumfries and Galloway
55°00′24″N 4°02′21″W / 55.006693°N 4.039210°W / 55.006693; -4.039210
Citizenship British
Nationality Scottish
Fields Physics and mathematics
Institutions Marischal College, Aberdeen
King's College, London
University of Cambridge
Alma mater University of Edinburgh
University of Cambridge
Academic advisors William Hopkins
Notable students George Chrystal
John Henry Poynting
Known for Maxwell's equations
Maxwell distribution
Maxwell's demon
Maxwell's discs
Maxwell speed distribution
Maxwell's theorem
Maxwell material
Generalized Maxwell model
Displacement current
Maxwell coil
Maxwell's wheel
Influences Sir Issac Newton, Michael Faraday
Influenced Albert Einstein
Notable awards Smith's Prize (1854)
Adams Prize (1857)
Rumford Medal (1860)
Keith Prize (1869–71)
Spouse Katherine Clerk Maxwell
Signature

James Clerk Maxwell FRS FRSE (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottishscientist 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 manifestations of the same phenomenon. Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism have been called the "second great unification in physics" after the first one 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. Maxwell 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 to the prediction of the existence of radio waves.

Maxwell 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".


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