Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field

How Two Men Revolutionized Physics

De: Nancy Forbes, Basil Mahon

Narrado por: Patrick Lawlor

Two of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time were Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). This is the story of how these two men - separated in age by 40 years - discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory which overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.

The authors, veteran science writers with special expertise in physics and engineering, have created a lively narrative that interweaves rich biographical detail from each man's life with clear explanations of their scientific accomplishments. Faraday was an autodidact, who overcame class prejudice and a lack of mathematical training to become renowned for his acute powers of experimental observation, technological skills, and prodigious scientific imagination. James Clerk Maxwell was highly regarded as one of the most brilliant mathematical physicists of the age. He made an enormous number of advances in his own right. But when he translated Faraday's ideas into mathematical language, thus creating field theory, this unified framework of electricity, magnetism and light became the basis for much of later, 20th-century physics.

©2014 Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon (P)2021 Tantor

Outstanding

Thorough but without excess. Scientific and yet very human. An outstanding biography of electromagnetism and two of its foremost discoverers.

Excellent historical treatment science in action.

Without a doubt the most important period in the development of our species. Faraday and Maxwell open the world of scientific thought which allowed the freedom of those who followed to suggest things like relativity and quantum mechanics and the hope to expect for more.

Amazing story of two minds.

One should consider that , like Darwin, Faraday and Maxwell lived over a century ago.

Great book read wonderfully

A great story about to giants and wonderfully read. not sure what else to say.

Excellent science history.

Excellent description of how scientific knowledge is advanced over generations of research. I highly recommend it.

Really engaging, very clear

I had a year and a half of college physics but got lost in the details of Maxwells equations. 50 years later this has brought light to what it all means. This is a very clear explanation of what Faraday and Maxwell achieved, the context of their work, and also the big picture of how their ideas fit in with changing concepts of the physical world. The authors clearly explain the big picture and many details of the science involved but also include details of their lives and social worlds. The reader does a fantastic job. Overall I found in informative and enjoyable to listen to and a compelling story.

Unimaginably Good

I anticipated a bunch of fun facts about electricity, magnetism, and the men that studied it. This was so much more, serving as an enthusiastic biography of two scientific giants while walking the reader through the scientific revolution that made modern life possible.

Everything about this is excellent.

A gripping and informative story about the triumphs of Faraday and Maxwell, with anecdotes connecting their work all the way to Einstein. If you want to supplment your study of Electrodynamics with the history of how its principles were concieved. This is a perfect book to look towards. The narrator also has a great voice and cadence that makes this an easy listen.

A Revolution of Thought

The subtitle mentions the revolution in physics wrought by an understanding of the electromagnetic field, but what really shines though in the book is the utter revolution of thought gifted us by these men, Maxwell in particular. It takes Maxwell three major iterations to formulate the electromagnetic (EM) field. The first is a fluidic model of EM, which is then replaced by a "wheels and cells" mechanical accounting of everything Faraday, Maxwell, et. al. had learned. As the author states, these two models were never meant by Maxwell to be taken as "real" ("ontic" is the term of art in Philosophy of Science), only as mathematical devices. These models leave Maxwell wondering, "are there any real analogies in nature?" Unsatisfied, Maxwell develops his third and final model of EM - the field. This is no "mechanical" model - no analog to other endeavors or disciplines. This is something completely new. Pause for a moment to consider the discovery of something so novel there is nothing to compare it to in the everyday world. What even is a field? Is it a fabric? A luminiferous aether? Indeed it is not - it pervades space, obeys local interactions, exhibits no rest frame, and permits wave behavior. As the author notes, such a radical accounting of nature opens doors that others will later pass through to access the quantum realm. This is not only the journey of two men - it is the journey of humanity and a triumph of human thought.

A terrific narrative of electromagnetic discovery

This book is one of the best I have read on the history science during the nineteenth century. The Faraday and Maxwell storyline of the story is inspired, mentioning the contributions of others such as Ampere, Henry, Heaviside, and Helmholtz. While being non-mathematical, its descriptions of the principles are very clear. I wish this book had been written in 1970 when I first became interested in electrical engineering!