1. Michael Hylton
April 25, 2013
History of Mass Media
Dr. Michael McBride
MC4302.281 (Index 39820)
James
Clerk
Maxwell
Scottish Physicist
in Theoretical and
Mathematical Physics
born 13 June 1831 -- died 5 November 1879
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2. .
James Clerk Maxwell -- Background
Maxwell was born in 1831 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
At 25 he became professor of physics at Marischal
College in Aberdeen. From there he moved first to
King's College, London, and then to Cambridge to
become the first professor of experimental physics
and director of the newly created Cavendish
Laboratory. It was at the Cavendish, over the next
50 years, that much of the physics of today
developed from Maxwell's inspiration.
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“Maxwell's importance in the history of scientific thought is comparable to
Einstein’s (whom he inspired) and to Newton’s (whose influence he curtailed)”
Ivan Tolstoy, biographer of Maxwell

3. The development of radiotelephony, the transmission and
reception of sound via radio waves, was the first step
toward achieving broadcasting. That step required a series
of smaller steps…a series of inventions, including:
Telegraphy: Samuel F. B. Morse,
Electricity: Thomas Edison,
Telephony: Alexander Graham Bell telephony, and
Wireless Telegraphy: James Clerk Maxwell
Communications Timeline Overview:
Where does Maxwell fit?
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4. What enables Wireless Telegraphy?
James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, built onto a group of discoveries to theorize that
energy passes through space as waves, traveling at the speed of light. Those waves of
energy are similar to the signals that could be carried over telegraph wires. It is those waves
of energy (seen pictured on these slides’ background) that enable wireless telegraphy.
Maxwell called them electromagnetic radio waves
and theorized communication signals could be carried by them.
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5. His theory turned into reality in 1887 when German physicist Heinrich Hertz
constructed a device that included two coils or hoops of wire, one of which
was an oscillator that produced electromagnetic radio waves. He found that
the oscillating coil excited electrical current in the other coil. As he moved the
two coils farther apart, similar results were seen. The first transmission and
reception of radio waves had taken place.
So important was this contribution that his name has since been adopted as
that of the measure of all radio frequencies. However, he never promoted the
use of wireless communication. 
Maxwell’s Theory to Reality
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6. When Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell theorized that energy passed
through space as waves traveling at the speed of light, he launched wireless
telegraphy. Because of Maxwell, in 1877, German physicist Heinrich Hertz
constructed a device demonstrating the first transmission and reception of what
had been previously discovered by Maxwell to be electromagnetic radio waves.
So important was his (Maxwell’s) contribution (which enabled Hertz to create a
device to transmit Maxwell’s discovery) that his (Maxwell’s) name has since been
adopted as that of the measure of all radio frequencies.
Might we know of James Clerk Maxwell
 IF, history would have read…
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But Sadly…and much to the
chagrin of JC’s Mother…

7. 7
So, instead of the MMx - MegaMax, history
gives us the current—haha, pun intended—
and widely known, universally accepted radio
frequency nomenclature…MHz MegaHertz !
…That is NOT how History reports!
About 20 years after Maxwell’s discovery, Lee DeForest brought Radio into practical life. Our text book, American Media
History, lays out much more on the historical and scientific journey to radio at the bottom of page 240 and continues through
page 246.
Not to worry, James went on to make his Mother proud by tirelessly moving
forward with his work as a theoretical physicist, making “game-changing”
discoveries which continue to impact our lives ! But despite his significant
contributions ………..…………….

8. Most Everyone in the general public asks:
Who is James C. Maxwell?
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While our text gives only the
briefest of mentions to James
Clerk Maxwell, another
book, entitled The Man Who
Changed Everything: The Life of
James Clerk Maxwell, provides
a detailed biography of “one of
the greatest scientists of our
time and yet a man relatively
unknown to the wider public.”
…

9. Generally, it is only Scientific
Historians…and/or scientists themselves,
give Maxwell his due …
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According to biographer, Basil Mahon: [Maxwell approached] science with a
freshness unbound by convention or previous expectations, he produced some
of the most original scientific thinking of the nineteenth century — and his
discoveries went on to shape the twentieth century.
“One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell.”
--Albert Einstein
“From a long view of the history of mankind—seen from, say, ten thousand years from
now—there can be little doubt that the most significant event of the nineteenth century
will be judged as Maxwell’s discovery of the laws of electrodynamics.”
--Richard Feynmann

10. Generally, it is only Scientific
Historians…and/or scientists
themselves, give Maxwell his due …
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Monday, 29 November, 1999, article
in BBC News:
Albert Einstein has been voted the
greatest physicist of all time…
pushing Sir Isaac Newton into second
place. [James C. Maxwell is third.]
The survey was conducted among 100
of today's leading physicists.

11. Generally, it is only Scientific
Historians…and/or scientists
themselves, give Maxwell his due …
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In 1996, Carl Sagan wrote about James C. Maxwell:
While he is almost forgotten in popular culture, radar astronomers
who map other worlds have remembered: the greatest mountain
range on Venus, discovered by sending radio waves from
Earth, bouncing them off Venus, and detecting the faint echoes, is
named after him.
Less than a century after Maxwell's prediction of radio waves, the first
quest was initiated for signals from possible civilizations on planets of
other stars. …A number of searches…for the time-varying electric and
magnetic fields crossing the vast interstellar distances from possible
other intelligences - biologically very different from us - who had also
benefited sometime in their histories from the insights of local
counterparts of James Clerk Maxwell.

12. ACHIEVEMENTS of J.C. Maxwell
His theory of classical electromagnetism demonstrates that electricity, magnetism
and light are all manifestations of the same phenomenon, namely the
electromagnetic field.
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13. ACHIEVEMENTS of J.C. Maxwell
Maxwell contributed to the field of optics and the study of color vision, creating the
foundation for practical color photography.
From 1855 to 1872, he published at intervals a series of valuable investigations
concerning the perception of color, color-blindness and color theory.
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14. Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic fields travel through space in the
form of waves at the speed of light (slide 12)
The unification of light and electrical phenomena led to the prediction of the existence
of radio waves.
Maxwell's achievements concerning electromagnetism have been called the "second
great unification in physics", after the first one realized by Isaac Newton.
Maxwell also helped develop a statistical means of describing aspects of the kinetic
theory of gases.
His discoveries helped usher in the era of modern physics, laying the foundation for
such fields as special relativity and quantum mechanics.
He is also known for presenting the first durable color photograph in 1861 (slide 13)
Maxwell's discovery of electro-magnetic radiation directly led to the development of
radio and infrared telescopes.
Contributions of James Clerk Maxwell
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15. Hawaii Tribune Herald, Tuesday June 20th 2006
Joint Astronomy Center marks birthday of James Clerk Maxwell
Famous Scottish physicist discovered theory of electromagnetism, changing man's views on light
June 13 was the 175th anniversary of Maxwell's birth. The famous Scottish physicist discovered the theory of
electromagnetism and forever changed man's views on the nature of light. The James Clerk Maxwell
Submillimeter Telescope atop Mauna Kea was named after this father of modern physics.
His namesake telescope on Mauna Kea opened in 1987. It is the largest telescope of its kind. Its 50-foot dish
collects submillimeter radiation, a form of light of wavelengths between infrared light and radio waves. This
radiation is used to study the coldest material in the universe, such as interstellar clouds, the birthplaces of stars
and planets, and dust rings around young stars.
Contributions of James Clerk Maxwell
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 Model of
Telescope
Location in
Hawaii 

16. The Sunday Post, April 23 2006
Brainy young James wasn't so daft after all
By Patrick McFall
HIS school pals ribbed him mercilessly for his country accent, his tender years and his ill-fitting
clothes.
But the boy they cruelly dubbed "Daftie" at Edinburgh Academy would go on to become one of the
greatest scientists who ever lived.
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) made arguably the most significant discovery of our age - the
theory of electromagnetism.
It paved the way for the invention of TVs, mobile phones, microwaves and nuclear energy and
earned Maxwell a legacy as the father of modern physics.
His fundamental contributions to maths, engineering and astronomy continue to electrify and
shape the world we live in today.
The great Albert Einstein, no less, was openly indebted to the Scot's work and described it as
"the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton."
Contributions of James Clerk Maxwell
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17. R E S O U R C E S
• http://www.maxwellyear2006.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavendish_Laboratory
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:James_Clerk_Maxwell.png
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoretical_physics
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_physics
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell
• http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/electromagnetism.htm
• The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell
by Dr. Basil Mahon
• Maxwell and The Nerds
• From The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan (Headline, 1996)
• http://amasci.com/amateur/nerdsmax.html
• http://www.maxwellyear2006.org/html/press_coverage.html#Press5
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell_Telescope
• http://monkeymagico.deviantart.com/art/Electromagnetism-133347005
(background image)
• http://www.clerkmaxwellfoundation.org/
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