Describes how Faraday and Maxwell discovered the electromagnetic field and devised a radical new theory which overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.

"It's just the best book of its kind I have ever read, and I just hugely enjoyed it. Couldn't put it down. [Their discovery] was a fabulous human achievement."

—Charlie Munger, Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, on CNBC's Squawk Box

“Compelling. …A lively account of the men and their times and a brilliant exposition of the scientific circumstances and significance of their work.”

—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“The life and science of these two giants of nineteenth-century physics is beautifully documented and narrated in this riveting book.”

—Eric D’Hoker, Distinguished Professor of Physics, UCLA; past president, Aspen Center for Physics

“If it is possible for a book about the electromagnetic field to be a 'page turner,' then this book is one! . . . This conceptual approach to what can be a daunting topic . . . makes the thinking of these great scientists accessible to all. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a passion for science.”

—NSTA Recommends

“Perhaps the names of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell aren’t as well known as Newton or Einstein, but they should be. The book traces their amazing collaboration.... But as equally fascinating as the tale of the discovery is that of the men behind it.... A fascinating true tale of the lives of two essential men of physics!” 

—AstroGuyz
 
“Blends science history and lively biography. …Accessible writing and a feel for character make this an interesting look at two scientists whose work defined an era and set the course for modern physics.”

—*Publishers Weekly

• “Fans of biographies, as well as anyone interested in science and technology…will enjoy reading about these ‘two modest and genial men whose combined endeavors changed the world.’”

  —Library Journal

  Autorentext

  By Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon

  Klappentext

  The story of two brilliant nineteenth-century scientists who discovered the electromagnetic field, laying the groundwork for the amazing technological and theoretical breakthroughs of the twentieth centuryTwo 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 forty 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.Faraday's and Maxwell's collaborative efforts gave rise to many of the technological innovations we take for granted today - from electric power generation to television, and much more. Told with panache, warmth, and clarity, this captivating story of their greatest work - in which each played an equal part - and their inspiring lives will bring new appreciation to these giants of science.

  Leseprobe
  Introduction

  It is 1888. Picture a large, sparsely furnished room. It has stout wooden tables and workbenches — a laboratory of some kind — but there are no retorts, Bunsen burners, or flasks of brightly colored liquid. Instead, the room is stocked with curious metal devices that have strange names: Rhümkorff coils, Knochenhauer spirals, Wheatstone bridges. Their purpose is to probe the ways of the mysterious invisible phenomenon — electricity.

  The room has a single occupant, a young man, handsome, neatly suited, and dark-haired with a close-trimmed beard and moustache. He is deftly assembling some apparatus on one of the long wooden tables. At one end he has constructed a circuit that will produce electric sparks across a narrow air gap between two metal spheres connected to the ends of the wires in the circuit. Ordinarily air doesn’t conduct electricity but, if the two spheres are close together and the voltage is high enough, a spark will appear to jump across the gap, although it is really a series of very rapid sparks that jump back and forth, or oscillate, between the spheres. To each sphere he has attached a metal rod connected to a rectangular metal plate — he has learned that this will alter the frequency of oscillation. He presses a key to activate the circuit, and vivid blue sparks crackle across the gap between the spheres.

  So far, so good; his primary circuit works, as it had the day before and the day before that. He turns his attention to a separate part of the apparatus that he calls his detector — a simple loop of wire with a very small gap between its ends that he can adjust with a screw. He holds the detector close to the sparking primary circuit, and faint sparks appear across its own gap. This happens, he reasons, when waves of energy pass from the primary circuit to the detector.

  All this is familiar ground to him, but the next steps are untried and will, he hopes, be decisive ones. Switching off the primary circuit for the moment, he props up a large zinc sheet in a vertical position at the far end of the table. Its purpose is to act as a reflector, like a mirror. He places the detector on the table between the primary circuit and the zinc reflecting sheet, closes the blinds, waits for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and then switches on his primary circuit. Turning his back on the sparks scintillating between the spheres, he looks for tiny sparks between the terminals of his detector. They appear, faint but unmistakable. Now for the step that will, if successful, establish the result he is seeking. He looks to see if the brightness of the sparks varies as he moves the detector slowly away from the primary circuit toward the reflecting zinc sheet. Indeed, it does. The sparks diminish to nothing, then grow again to their brightest, and then the cycle repeats. He knows that when any kind of wave is reflected back toward its source, it forms a standing wave, which appears to vibrate in place, like a guitar string. Hence, waves are being produced by the primary circuit and reflected by the zinc sheet. This is exactly what he wanted to find. Heinrich Hertz, professor of experimental physics at the Technische Hochschule in Karlsruhe, has made one of the greatest experimental discoveries in the history of science: he has proved beyond doubt the existence of electromagnetic waves.

  As Guglielmo Marconi and others were soon to show, the commercial value of Hertz’s discovery was immense. But he had no notion of this, nor, indeed, of any practical application. What had captivated Hertz and set him on his quest was a beguiling but strange scientific idea — the brainchild of British experimentalist Michael Faraday in the 1830s that had been rais…