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SUMMARY:What's nu? Maxwell's electrical metrology and the electromagnetic 
 theory of light reappraised - Daniel Mitchell (Department of History and P
 hilosophy of Science)
DTSTART:20160504T120000Z
DTEND:20160504T133000Z
UID:TALK65716@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:31287
DESCRIPTION:Maxwell's derivation of an equality between the speed of wave 
 propagation c in a hypothetical electromagnetic medium and the ratio of \n
 electrostatic and electromagnetic units of electrical quantity ν was hist
 orically his most important argument for the electromagnetic theory of lig
 ht. He argued that it provided strong grounds for believing that light was
  an electromagnetic wave and the optical and electromagnetic ether were tw
 o different names for the same thing. Acceptance of this identity\, Maxwel
 l knew\, substantiated his field-theoretic approach to electricity and mag
 netism at the expense of Continental action-at-a-distance theories. This s
 tudy begins by problematizing the \nequality between ν\, ostensibly a num
 erical ratio\, and c\, a canonical physical quantity. We are thereby drawn
  into a critical examination of the evolution of Maxwell's practices of re
 presenting physical \nquantities\, units\, and their dimensions\, with the
  expectation of shedding light on the nature of physical constants\, units
 \, and dimensions in modern scientific practice.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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