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James Clerk Maxwell FRS FRSE (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish physicist with broad interests [1][2] who was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and light as different manifestations of the same phenomenon.
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- Early life
James Clerk Maxwell is most famous for his theory of electromagnetism, which showed that light was electromagnetic radiation. His theory is considered to have paved the way for both quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of special relativity.
How did James Clerk Maxwell die?
James Clerk Maxwell died of abdominal cancer on November 5, 1879. Beginning in 1877, he had had difficulty eating. However, it was not until 1879 that his illness worsened, and in October of that year he consulted a doctor who told him that he had only a month left to live.
Where was James Clerk Maxwell educated?
James Clerk Maxwell was educated at the University of Edinburgh from 1846 to 1850 and at the University of Cambridge from 1850 to 1854, where he studied mathematics. At Cambridge he attained the honours of second wrangler and first Smith’s prizeman.
James Clerk Maxwell (born June 13, 1831, Edinburgh, Scotland—died November 5, 1879, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England) Scottish physicist best known for his formulation of electromagnetic theory. He is regarded by most modern physicists as the scientist of the 19th century who had the greatest influence on 20th-century physics, and he is ranked with Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein for the fundamental nature of his contributions. In 1931, on the 100th anniversary of Maxwell’s birth, Einstein described the change in the conception of reality in physics that resulted from Maxwell’s work as “the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton.”
Maxwell came from a comfortable middle-class background. The original family name was Clerk, the additional surname being added by his father, who was a lawyer, after he had inherited the Middlebie estate from Maxwell ancestors. James was an only child. His parents had married late in life, and his mother was 40 years old at his birth. (See Researcher’s Note: Maxwell’s date of birth.) Shortly afterward the family moved from Edinburgh to Glenlair, the country house on the Middlebie estate.
His mother died in 1839 from abdominal cancer, the very disease to which Maxwell was to succumb at exactly the same age. A dull and uninspired tutor was engaged who claimed that James was slow at learning, though in fact he displayed a lively curiosity at an early age and had a phenomenal memory. Fortunately he was rescued by his aunt Jane Cay and from 1841 was sent to school at the Edinburgh Academy. Among the other pupils were his biographer Lewis Campbell and his friend Peter Guthrie Tait.
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Maxwell’s interests ranged far beyond the school syllabus, and he did not pay particular attention to examination performance. His first scientific paper, published when he was only 14 years old, described a generalized series of oval curves that could be traced with pins and thread by analogy with an ellipse. This fascination with geometry and with mechanical models continued throughout his career and was of great help in his subsequent research.
At age 16 he entered the University of Edinburgh, where he read voraciously on all subjects and published two more scientific papers. In 1850 he went to the University of Cambridge, where his exceptional powers began to be recognized. His mathematics teacher, William Hopkins, was a well-known “wrangler maker” (a wrangler is one who takes first-class honours in the mathematics examinations at Cambridge) whose students included Tait, George Gabriel (later Sir George) Stokes, William Thomson (later Baron Kelvin), Arthur Cayley, and Edward John Routh. Of Maxwell, Hopkins is reported to have said that he was the most extraordinary man he had ever met, that it seemed impossible for him to think wrongly on any physical subject, but that in analysis he was far more deficient. (Other contemporaries also testified to Maxwell’s preference for geometrical over analytical methods.) This shrewd assessment was later borne out by several important formulas advanced by Maxwell that obtained correct results from faulty mathematical arguments.
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Apr 2, 2014 · Best Known For: James C. Maxwell was a 19th-century pioneer in chemistry and physics who articulated the idea of electromagnetism. Industries Science and Medicine
Sep 29, 2021 · James Clerk Maxwell is the scientist responsible for explaining the forces behind the radio in your car, the magnets on your fridge, the heat of a warm summer day and the charge on a...
Jun 13, 2011 · Learn about the life and achievements of James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to electricity, magnetism, optics and kinetic theory. Explore his early curiosity, education, publications, awards and legacy.
20 hours ago · James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was one of the greatest scientists who have ever lived. To him we owe the most significant discovery of our age - the theory of electromagnetism. He is rightly acclaimed as the father of modern physics. He also made fundamental contributions to mathematics, astronomy and engineering.
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) Famous for: Proving the link between electricity, magnetism and light for the first time; Determining what the rings of Saturn are made of; Devising a theory relating to gases; Producing the first colour photograph. James Clerk Maxwell is often called one of the world's greatest physicists.
