James Clerk Maxwell was one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians of the 19th century. With talents rarely united today, he made landmark contributions to both theoretical and experimental science.
Maxwell published phenomenal work in two areas. First, building upon the experimental data of Michael Faraday, and applying highly sophisticated mathematical methods, he predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves (1864). Moreover, he calculated the waves would travel at the speed of light. Later, Heinrich Hertz discovered these waves (1887) thereby paving the way for radio, television, radar, and even the boom in electrical and computer science. For Maxwell, the great mental breakthrough came in thinking of electricity as an electromagnetic phenomenon and not some sort of mechanical process.
Next post we will talk about the Maxwell Equations
"One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell."
Albert Einstein
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