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5 - The Origin of Maxwell’s Equations

from Case Study II - Maxwell’s Equations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2020

Malcolm S. Longair
Malcolm S. Longair
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

Maxwell's discovery of the equations for the electromagnetic field was one of the greatest achievements of nineteenth-century physics. The laws of electrostatics, magnetostatics and the magnetic fields produced by steady currents were established by the 1820s. Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction in 1831 led to his concept of magnetic field lines and the visualisation of the laws of induction as being determined by the rate of cutting of the field lines. Maxwell mathematised Faraday's model of magnetic field lines by adopting a mechanical model of the aether. His theoretical investigations led to the introduction of the displacement current and the discovery that light is electromagnetic radiation.

Keywords

Maxwell’s equationsFaradaymechanical model of electromagnetismdisplacement currentlight as electromagnetic waves
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Theoretical Concepts in Physics
An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
 , pp. 75 - 106
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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