James Clerk Maxwell

This giant of physics revolutionized science when he united the fields of electricity and magnetism in one theory.

The Scottish physicist who created the theory of ELECTROMAGNETISM, paving the way for radio and television Maxwell showed that both magnetism and electricity are forms of electromagnetic fields. In the 1980s, Maxwell’s theory about Saturn’s rings was proved correct by the Voyager spacecraft.

Inquisitive mind

Curious as a child, James Clerk Maxwell published his first scientific paper at the age of 14. In 1856, he published a major ESSAY ON SATURN’S RINGS. Scientists had long struggled to understand why they didn’t break up or move apart. Using mathematics, Maxwell suggested they were neither entirely solid nor a fluid, but made up of lots of separate parts.

Maxwell’s equations

Maxwell’s most famous discovery was that electricity and magnetism are essentially two aspects of the same force. He also showed that electric and magnetic fields travel through space in the form of waves, and that light is a type of electromagnetic wave. His FOUR MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS, which describe the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields and how they interact with matter, are considered a cornerstone of modern physics. Did you know? Albert Einstein was inspired by Maxwell and had a photograph of him on his study wall.

Who came before...

A link between electricity and magnetism was found in 1820 by Danish physicist

Hans CHristian Oersted, who showed that electricity flowing through a wire could move a nearby magnet. The electromagnet was invented in 1825 by English electrical

engineer William sturgeOn.

This led to the development of the telegraph in the 1830s, the first step in electric telecommunications.

Colour photography was born with Maxwell’s image of a tartan ribbon.

By the way… As my classmates didn’t understand my genius, they nicknamed me “Dafty”.

What came after...

The first practical radio transmitter and receiver was developed by

Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in the mid-1890s. He sent the first longdistance wireless transmission across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901. Engineers use Maxwell’s equations to create modern technology. The high-speed maglev trains for example, “float” above the track using a magnet that repels another magnet on the track.

Colourful career

Maxwell made many important advances in understanding colour perception and colour blindness, and produced the WORLD’S FIRST COLOUR PHOTOGRAPH in 1861. He carried out pioneering research into the speed of molecules in a gas at different temperatures. Maxwell also designed and then led the Cavendish Laboratory – the renowned physics department at the University of Cambridge.

How he changed the world

Maxwell’s equations laid the groundwork for Einstein’s special theory of relativity and led to the development of technology such as radio, television, and mobile phones.