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== On Physical Lines of Force == | |||
[[File:OPL-fig-lines-of-force.svg|thumb|right|280px|Lines of force about a bar magnet]] | |||
In four instalments between March 1861 and February 1862, James Clerk Maxwell | |||
filled space with spinning cells and little rolling particles, to explain what a | |||
magnetic field actually ''is''. The machine was wrong. On the way to building it | |||
he wrote down the displacement current, derived the speed of light from two | |||
electrical measurements that had nothing to do with optics, and founded field | |||
theory. | |||
A 65-page reading edition: Maxwell's argument in his own order and register, the | |||
modern equations derived from his results, and a plain-language explainer for | |||
every major idea. | |||
* '''[[On Physical Lines of Force|Start reading →]]''' | |||
* [[On Physical Lines of Force/Introduction|Introduction]] — the story, and why the paper matters | |||
* [[On Physical Lines of Force/Explainers|The explainers]] — plain language, no mathematics | |||
* [[On Physical Lines of Force/Explainers/The missing term|The missing term]] — the one addition that made radio possible | |||
Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software. | Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software. | ||
Revision as of 05:27, 2 September 2026
On Physical Lines of Force
In four instalments between March 1861 and February 1862, James Clerk Maxwell filled space with spinning cells and little rolling particles, to explain what a magnetic field actually is. The machine was wrong. On the way to building it he wrote down the displacement current, derived the speed of light from two electrical measurements that had nothing to do with optics, and founded field theory.
A 65-page reading edition: Maxwell's argument in his own order and register, the modern equations derived from his results, and a plain-language explainer for every major idea.
- Start reading →
- Introduction — the story, and why the paper matters
- The explainers — plain language, no mathematics
- The missing term — the one addition that made radio possible
Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.
Getting started
