Transcript James Clerk Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell
Andrew Davis
Danny Rogers
Melissa Woolley
Childhood
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Parents: John and
Frances Clerk Maxwell
Curious Childhood led
to the discovery of
mirrors
Birthplace
Edinburgh, Scotland
Education
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Home taught by his
mother until about 7
years old
Tutored for a year by
a 16 year old
neighbor – until he
rebelled
Finally entered public
school and earned
the nickname “Dafty”
Maxwell escaping his tutor in a washing tub
University education
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Entered Edinburgh
University at age 16
In 1850 he moved to
Cambridge to pursue a
career in science
Passed his finals at
Cambridge as “Second
Wrangler”
Beyond the Math and Physics
“... So I get up and see what kind of day it is, and what
field works are to be done; then I catch the pony and
bring up the water barrel ... Then I take the dogs out,
and then look round the garden for fruit and seeds,
and paddle about till breakfast time; after I that take
up Cicero and see if I can understand him. If so, I
read till I stick; if not, I set to Xen. or Herodt. Then I
do props (math problems), chiefly on rolling curves ...
After props come optics, and principally polarized
light…”
Beyond the Math and Physics
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I believe … that ``Man's chief end is to glorify God
and to enjoy him for ever''
Maxwell was convinced of one of Frederick Denison
Maurice's key tenets, that the dehumanization of the
working class in an industrializing society was to be
prevented by a cooperative approach in which
workers were given greater influence though
education. Maurice and his friends set up Working
Men's Colleges, and Maxwell, seeing this as a vital
Christian service, taught Working Men's classes
weekly till at least 1866.
What we can learn from Maxwell
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Balance
Faith
Service
Love
“Another aspect of Maxwell's
character that is revealed in his
marriage is the kindness and
compassion with which he
nursed his wife through frequent
indispositions… James was ever
the caring husband and
frequently sat up all night to tend
her, even during his own final
illness”
Statistical Mechanics
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Maxwellian distribution
1-D:
<V>, Vrms
Introduced probability
into physics
Proved viscosity of a
gas is independent of
pressure
N ( Vx )
N
1

2
2
m
e
kT
2

m
V


x 
  1 /2 k t 


Electromagnetism
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Lines of Force
Maxwell’s Equations
Speed of light
Aether
Optics
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Color receptors in the eye: red, blue, green
Took the first color photograph
Other
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Saturn’s Rings
Topology
Cybernetics