James Clerk Maxwell
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
- Categories: Science
- Subcategories: Mathematics, Mathematicians, Scientists, Physics, Physicists
- Curriculum: 19th Century European History, British History
Article abstract: Both a theoretical and an experimental physicist as well as a notable mathematician, Maxwell founded modern field theory and statistical mechanics, mathematically describing interactions of electrical and magnetic fields that produce radiant energy, thus confirming the existence of electromagnetic waves that move at light speed. He also elaborated theories of the mechanics and kinetics of gases and a theory of Saturn’s rings.
Early Life
James Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 13, 1831. An only child, he was reared...
[The entire page is 1796 words long]
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