The arts and crafts, life, loves and dogs of James Clerk Maxwell

As physicists know, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. To him we owe the most significant discovery of our age - the theory of electromagnetism, laying the foundations for Hertz’s discovery of radio waves. He is rightly acclaimed as the founder of modern physics. In Maxwell’s equations lay the origins of our understanding of electromagnetism and field theory.

Einstein is quoted as saying, reflecting the development of Maxwellian realities:

‘One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell’

The legacy left to us continues; as recently as 2007 Freeman Dyson said:

‘We may hope that a deep understanding of Maxwell’s theory will result in the dispersal of the fog of misunderstanding that still surrounds the interpretation of quantum mechanics [and] … will help to lead the way towards further triumphs of physics in the twenty-first century.'

This is a rare chance to learn more from three knowledgeable speakers about this strange and wonderful human being who navigated the politics of science with wit, grace and kindness, supported by a family who loved him.

Dr Kate Macdonald on his early life, art and craft; Dr Alan Walker on his career and achievements; Dr Howie Firth on the legacy of the concept of a field; and why Maxwell is not well known, reflecting on how the 21st-century scientific culture is shaped by what happened in the latter half of the 19th century – effectively writing James Clerk Maxwell out of popular scientific history.

We thank our friends at IOP Scotland for seed funding for Clerk Maxwell @ 200 project, and providing funding for teas and coffees.  

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