The Unknown Maxwell

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• The Cambridge Philosophical Society
• Friday 28 March 2025, 09:00-17:15
• Cambridge University Engineering Department. Constance Tipper Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Beverley Larner.

In the millennium poll, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was voted the third greatest physicist of all time – behind Newton and Einstein. But Maxwell’s extraordinary range of interests and achievements extended far beyond his well-known equations for electromagnetism and his thermodynamic relations, and this meeting will explore just a few of the fields in which Maxwell did seminal work. The day will begin with an overview of James Clerk Maxwell’s life and achievements. The talks following will highlight some topics in which current research is revealing interesting developments, but also looking back to Maxwell’s insights in laying the foundations for so much of our contemporary science.

There will be a small exhibition of artefacts including some of Maxwell’s models from the Cavendish collection.

James Clerk Maxwell had strong links with the Cambridge Philosophical Society during his time at Cambridge. He studied mathematics as an undergraduate – initially at Peterhouse, but moving to Trinity before the end of his first term. He graduated in 1854, and shortly afterwards presented his first paper On the transformation of surfaces by bending to the Cambridge Philosophical Society. His career took him to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and King’s College London before returning to Cambridge in 1871 to become the first Professor of Experimental Physics. He was President of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 1875-1877.

This talk is part of the Cambridge Philosophical Society series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All Talks (aka the CURE list)
• Biomimetic manufacturing and sustainability
• Cambridge Philosophical Society
• Cambridge University Engineering Department. Constance Tipper Lecture Theatre
• Centre for Health Leadership and Enterprise
• Chris Davis' list
• Featured lists
• Featured talks
• Guy Emerson's list
• Major Public Lectures in Cambridge
• Neurons, Fake News, DNA and your iPhone: The Mathematics of Information
• PMRFPS's
• baz21 science lists
• custom
• ld636
• mig40's list
• personal list

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.