MAXWELL, James Clerk(Maxwell, James Clerk) (1831–1879), English physicist. Born June 13, 1831 in Edinburgh in the family of a Scottish nobleman from a noble family of Clerks. He studied first at Edinburgh (1847-1850), then at Cambridge (1850-1854) universities. In 1855 he became a member of the Council of Trinity College, in 1856-1860 he was a professor at Marishall College, Aberdeen University, from 1860 he headed the department of physics and astronomy at King's College, London University. In 1865, due to a serious illness, Maxwell resigned from the chair and settled in his family estate Glenlar near Edinburgh. He continued to study science, wrote several essays on physics and mathematics. In 1871 he took the chair of experimental physics at the University of Cambridge. He organized a research laboratory, which opened on June 16, 1874 and was named Cavendish - in honor of G. Cavendish.

Maxwell completed his first scientific work while still at school, inventing a simple way to draw oval shapes. This work was reported at a meeting of the Royal Society and even published in its Proceedings. As a member of the Council of Trinity College, he experimented on color theory, acting as a successor to Jung's theory and Helmholtz's theory of the three primary colors. In experiments on mixing colors, Maxwell used a special top, the disk of which was divided into sectors painted in different colors (Maxwell's disk). When the spinning top rotated quickly, the colors merged: if the disk was painted over in the way the colors of the spectrum are located, it seemed white; if one half of it was painted red and the other half yellow, it appeared orange; mixing blue and yellow gave the impression of green. In 1860, for his work on color perception and optics, Maxwell was awarded a medal Rumford.

In 1857 the University of Cambridge announced a competition for the best work on the stability of Saturn's rings. These formations were discovered by Galileo at the beginning of the 17th century. and represented an amazing mystery of nature: the planet seemed to be surrounded by three continuous concentric rings, consisting of a substance of an unknown nature. Laplace proved that they cannot be solid. After spending mathematical analysis, Maxwell was convinced that they could not be liquid either, and came to the conclusion that such a structure could be stable only if it consisted of a swarm of unrelated meteorites. The stability of the rings is ensured by their attraction to Saturn and the mutual motion of the planet and meteorites. For this work, Maxwell received the J. Adams Prize.

One of Maxwell's first works was his kinetic theory of gases. In 1859, the scientist made a presentation at a meeting of the British Association, in which he gave the distribution of molecules by velocities (Maxwellian distribution). Maxwell developed the ideas of his predecessor in the development of the kinetic theory of gases by R. Clausius, who introduced the concept of " middle length free run." Maxwell proceeded from the idea of ​​a gas as an ensemble of perfectly elastic balls moving randomly in a closed space. The balls (molecules) can be divided into groups according to their velocities, while in the stationary state the number of molecules in each group remains constant, although they can leave the groups and enter them. From such a consideration it followed that “particles are distributed according to velocities according to the same law as the observation errors are distributed in the theory of the least squares method, i.e. in accordance with Gaussian statistics." Within his theory, Maxwell explained Avogadro's law, diffusion, heat conduction, internal friction (transport theory). In 1867 he showed the statistical nature of the second law of thermodynamics ("Maxwell's demon").

In 1831, the year of Maxwell's birth, M. Faraday carried out classical experiments that led him to the discovery of electromagnetic induction. Maxwell began to study electricity and magnetism about 20 years later, when there were two views on the nature of electric and magnetic effects. Scientists such as A.M. Ampere and F. Neumann adhered to the concept of long-range action, considering electromagnetic forces as an analogue of gravitational attraction between two masses. Faraday was an adherent of the idea of ​​lines of force that connect positive and negative electric charges or north and south poles magnet. The lines of force fill the entire surrounding space (the field, in Faraday's terminology) and determine the electrical and magnetic interactions. Following Faraday, Maxwell developed a hydrodynamic model of lines of force and expressed the then known relations of electrodynamics in a mathematical language corresponding to Faraday's mechanical models. The main results of this study are reflected in the work Faraday lines of force (Faraday's Lines of Force, 1857). In 1860-1865 Maxwell created the theory of electro magnetic field, which he formulated in the form of a system of equations (Maxwell's equations) describing the basic laws of electromagnetic phenomena: the 1st equation expressed Faraday's electromagnetic induction; 2nd - magnetoelectric induction, discovered by Maxwell and based on the concepts of displacement currents; 3rd - the law of conservation of the amount of electricity; 4th - the vortex nature of the magnetic field.

Continuing to develop these ideas, Maxwell came to the conclusion that any changes in the electric and magnetic fields should cause changes in the lines of force penetrating the surrounding space, i.e. there must be impulses (or waves) propagating in the medium. The speed of propagation of these waves (electromagnetic disturbance) depends on the dielectric and magnetic permeability of the medium and is equal to the ratio of the electromagnetic unit to the electrostatic unit. According to Maxwell and other researchers, this ratio is 3×10 10 cm/s, which is close to the speed of light measured seven years earlier by the French physicist A. Fizeau. In October 1861, Maxwell informed Faraday of his discovery that light is an electromagnetic disturbance propagating in a non-conductive medium, i.e. kind of electromagnetic waves. This final stage of research is described in the work of Maxwell Dynamic theory of electromagnetic field (Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, 1864), and the result of his work on electrodynamics was summed up by the famous Treatise on electricity and magnetism (1873).

Last years Maxwell's life was preparing for printing and publishing the manuscript heritage of Cavendish. Two large volumes were published in October 1879. Maxwell died in Cambridge on November 5, 1879.

English mathematician, physicist and mechanic James Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh (Scotland) on June 13, 1831. Soon the family of the future scientist moved to his Middleby estate, where the boy spent his childhood.

In 1841, returning to Edinburgh again, the young man entered the Edinburgh Academy. After graduating from it, Maxwell began to study at the university of the same name.

In 1853 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge. There Maxwell became interested in the study of electricity and soon began to experimental research in this area.

In the 1950s, the scientist was actively involved in teaching, working in his native Cambridge, and then at the University of Aberdeen and King's College London. At this time, he created the theory of colors, which later made possible the appearance of color photography, and also developed the theory of gases, which became the basis of modern static mechanics.

In 1864-65, Maxwell created his famous "Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field", which became his main scientific work and is considered the pinnacle of mathematical thought of that time. In 1866, he discovered the law of distribution of ideal gas molecules by velocities, later named after the scientist.

In 1871, Maxwell returned to work at the University of Cambridge as a professor of experimental physics. At this time, he wrote the encyclopedic "Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism" (1873), dedicated to the memory of Michael Faraday.

James Maxwell (1831-1879).

James Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh on June 13, 1831. Shortly after the birth of the boy, his parents took him to their estate Glenlar. Since that time, the "lair in a narrow gorge" has firmly entered the life of Maxwell. Here his parents lived and died, here he himself lived and was buried for a long time.

When James was eight years old, misfortune came to the house: his mother became seriously ill and soon died. Now the only educator of James was his father, to whom he retained a feeling of tender affection and friendship for the rest of his life. John Maxwell was not only the father and educator of his son, but also his most faithful friend.

Soon the time came when the boy had to start studying. At first, teachers were invited to the house. But the Scottish home teachers were just as rude and ignorant as their English counterparts, described with such sarcasm and hatred by Dickens. Therefore, it was decided to give James to new school, which bore the loud name of the Edinburgh Academy.

The boy was gradually drawn into school life. He became more interested in the lessons. He especially liked geometry. She remained one of Maxwell's strongest hobbies for the rest of his life. Geometric images and models played a huge role in his scientific work. Maxwell's scientific path began with her.

Maxwell graduated from the academy in one of the first graduations. At parting with the beloved school, he composed the anthem of the Edinburgh Academy, which was sung in unison and with enthusiasm by its pupils. Now the doors of the University of Edinburgh were flung open before him.

As a student, Maxwell carried out serious research on the theory of elasticity, which was highly appreciated by specialists. And now he was faced with the question of the prospect of his further studies at Cambridge.

Founded in 1284, St. Peter's (Peterhouse), and the most famous is the College of St. Trinity College (Trinity College), founded in 1546. The glory of this college was created by his famous pupil Isaac Newton. Peterhouse and Trinity College were successively the Cambridge sojourn of the young Maxwell. After a short stay at Peterhouse, Maxwell transferred to Trinity College.

The volume of Maxwell's knowledge, the power of his intellect and independence of thought allowed him to achieve a high place in his release. He took second place.

The young bachelor was left at Trinity College as a teacher. But he was worried scientific problems. In addition to his old fascination with geometry and the problem of colors, which he began to study as early as 1852, Maxwell became interested in electricity.

On February 20, 1854, Maxwell informs Thomson of his intention to "attack electricity". The result of the "attack" was the essay "On Faraday's Lines of Force" - the first of Maxwell's three main works devoted to the study of the electromagnetic field. The word "field" first appeared in that same letter to Thomson, but neither in this nor in a later work on lines of force. Maxwell does not use it. This concept reappears only in 1864 in the work "Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field".

In the autumn of 1856 Maxwell took up the post of professor of natural philosophy at Marischal College, Aberdeen. The department of natural philosophy, that is, the department of physics in Aberdeen, did not exist before Maxwell, and the young professor had to organize educational and scientific work in physics.

The stay in Aberdeen was marked important event and in Maxwell's personal life: he married the daughter of the head of Marischal College, Daniel Dewar, Katherine Mary Dewar. This event took place in 1858. From that time until the end of their lives, the Maxwells walked their life path hand in hand.

In 1857-1859, the scientist carried out his calculations of the movement of Saturn's rings. He showed that the liquid ring during rotation will be destroyed by the waves arising in it and will break into separate satellites. Maxwell considered the motion of a finite number of such satellites. The most difficult mathematical research brought him the Adams Prize and fame as a first-class mathematician. The prized essay was published in 1859 by the University of Cambridge.

From the study of the rings of Saturn, it was quite natural to move on to the consideration of the motions of gas molecules. The Aberdeen period of Maxwell's life ended with his speech at the meeting of the British Association in 1859 with a report "On the dynamical theory of gases". This document marked the beginning of Maxwell's many years of fruitful research in the field of the kinetic theory of gases and statistical physics.

Since the department where Maxwell worked was closed, the scientist had to look for new job. In 1860, Maxwell was elected professor of natural philosophy at King's College London.

The London period was marked by the publication of a large article "Explanations to the Dynamic Theory of Gases", which was published in the leading English physics journal, the Philosophical Journal, in 1860. With this article, Maxwell made a huge contribution to a new branch of theoretical physics - statistical physics. The founders of statistical physics in its classical form are Maxwell, Boltzmann and Gibbs.

The Maxwells spent the summer of 1860 at the Glenlar family estate before the start of the autumn semester in London. However, Maxwell failed to rest and gain strength. He fell ill with smallpox in a severe form. The doctors feared for his life. But the extraordinary courage and patience of Catherine, who was devoted to him, who did everything to get her sick husband out, helped them defeat the terrible disease. Such a difficult test began his life in London. During this period of his life, Maxwell published a large article on colors, as well as the work "Explanations to the dynamic theory of gases." But the main work of his life was devoted to the theory of electricity.

He publishes two major works on the electromagnetic field theory he created: "On Physical Lines of Force" (1861-1862) and "Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field" (1864-1865). For ten years, Maxwell has grown into the largest scientist, creator fundamental theory electromagnetic phenomena, which, along with mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical physics, has become one of the foundations of classical theoretical physics.

During the same period of his life, Maxwell began work on electrical measurements. He was especially interested in a rational system of electrical units, since the electromagnetic theory of light he created was based only on the coincidence of the ratio of electrostatic and electromagnetic units of electricity with the speed of light. It is quite natural that he became one of the active members of the "Commission of Units" of the British Association. In addition, Maxwell deeply understood close connection science and technology, the importance of this alliance both for the progress of science and for technical progress. Therefore, from the sixties until the end of his life, he tirelessly worked in the field of electrical measurements.

The stressful London life had taken a toll on the health of Maxwell and his wife, and they decided to live on their family estate of Glenlar. This decision became inevitable after Maxwell's serious illness at the end of his summer vacation in 1865, which he spent as usual at his estate. Maxwell left the service in London and lived for five years (from 1866 to 1871) in Glenlare, occasionally traveling to Cambridge for examinations, and only in 1867, on the advice of doctors, he traveled to Italy. Being engaged in economic affairs in Glenlar, Maxwell did not leave scientific studies. He worked hard on the main work of his life, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, wrote the book The Theory of Heat, an important work on regulators, a number of articles on the kinetic theory of gases, and participated in meetings of the British Association. Maxwell's creative life in the countryside continued as intensely as in the university city.

In 1871, Maxwell published The Theory of Heat in London. This textbook has been very popular. The scientist wrote that the purpose of his book "The Theory of Heat" was to present the doctrine of heat "in the sequence in which it developed."

Shortly after the publication of The Theory of Heat, Maxwell received an offer to take the newly organized chair of experimental physics at Cambridge. He agreed and on 8 March 1871 was appointed Cavendish Professor at the University of Cambridge.

In 1873, the Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism (in two volumes) and the book Matter and Motion were published.

"Matter and Motion" is a small book devoted to the presentation of the fundamentals of mechanics.

"Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism" - Maxwell's main work and his pinnacle scientific creativity. In it, he summed up the results of many years of work on electromagnetism, which began as early as the beginning of 1854. The preface to the "Treatise" is dated February 1, 1873. Nineteen years Maxwell worked on his fundamental work!

Maxwell reviewed the entire body of knowledge on electricity and magnetism of his time, starting with the basic facts of electrostatics and ending with the electromagnetic theory of light he created. He summed up the struggle between the theories of long-range action and short-range action, which began during Newton's lifetime, devoting the last chapter of his book to consideration of theories of action at a distance. Maxwell did not openly speak out against the theories of electricity that existed before him; he presented the Faraday concept as equal to the mainstream theories, but the whole spirit of his book, his approach to the analysis of electromagnetic phenomena, was so new and unusual that contemporaries refused to understand the book.

In the famous preface to the Treatise, Maxwell characterizes the purpose of his work as follows: to describe the most important of electromagnetic phenomena, to show how they can be measured, and "to trace the mathematical relationships between the measured quantities." He indicates that he will try "as far as possible to shed light on the connection between the mathematical form of this theory and general dynamics, in order to be prepared to a certain extent for the definition of those dynamic laws, among which we should look for illustrations or explanations of electromagnetic phenomena."

Maxwell considers the laws of mechanics to be the basic laws of nature. It is no coincidence that, therefore, as a fundamental premise to his basic equations of electromagnetic theory, he sets out the basic provisions of dynamics. But at the same time, Maxwell understands that the theory of electromagnetic phenomena is qualitatively new theory, which is not reduced to mechanics, although mechanics facilitates penetration into this new field of natural phenomena.

Maxwell's main conclusions boil down to the following: an alternating magnetic field excited by a changing current creates an electric field in the surrounding space, which in turn excites a magnetic field, etc. Changing electric and magnetic fields, mutually generating each other, form a single alternating electromagnetic field is an electromagnetic wave.

He derived equations showing that the magnetic field created by a current source propagates from it at a constant speed. Having arisen, the electromagnetic field propagates in space at the speed of light of 300,000 km/s, occupying a larger and larger volume. D. Maxwell argued that the waves of light are of the same nature as the waves that arise around a wire in which there is an alternating electric current. They differ from each other only in length. Very short wavelengths is visible light.

In 1874, he begins a major historical work: the study of the scientific heritage of the eighteenth-century scientist Henry Cavendish and prepares it for publication. After Maxwell's research, it became clear that long before Faraday, Cavendish discovered the influence of a dielectric on the magnitude of the electric capacitance, and 15 years before Coulomb discovered the law of electrical interactions.

Cavendish's works on electricity, describing experiments, took up a large volume, published in 1879 under the title "Papers on Electricity of the Honorable Henry Cavendish." This was Maxwell's last book published during his lifetime. On November 5, 1879, he died in Cambridge.

James Maxwell was born on June 13, 1831 in the capital of Scotland, the city of Edinburgh, in the family of a lawyer and hereditary nobleman John Clerk Maxwell. James spent his childhood on the family estate in South Scotland. His mother died early, and the boy was raised by his father. It was he who instilled in James a love of technical sciences. In 1841 he entered the Edinburgh Academy. Then, in 1847, he studied at the University of Edinburgh for three years. Here Maxwell studies and develops the theory of elasticity, puts scientific experiments. In 1850 - 1854. studied at the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree.

After completing his studies, James remains to teach at Cambridge. At this time, he begins work on the theory of colors, which later formed the basis of color photography. Maxwell also becomes interested in electricity and the magnetic effect.

In 1856, James Maxwell became professor at Marischal College in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he worked until 1860. In June 1858, Maxwell married the daughter of the principal of the college. Working in Aberdeen, James is working on a treatise On the Stability of the Movement of the Rings of Saturn (1859), recognized and approved by the scientific community. At the same time, Maxwell was developing the kinetic theory of gases, which formed the basis of modern statistical mechanics, and later, in 1866, he discovered the law of molecular velocity distribution, named after him.

In 1860 - 1865. James Maxwell was Professor in the Department of Natural Philosophy at King's College (London). in 1864, his article "The Dynamic Theory of the Electromagnetic Field" was published, which became Maxwell's main work and predetermined the direction of his further research. The scientist was engaged in the problems of electromagnetism until the end of his life.

In 1871, Maxwell returned to the University of Cambridge, where he headed the first laboratory for physical experiments, named after the English scientist Henry Cavendish - the Cavendish Laboratory. There he taught physics and participated in equipping the laboratory.

In 1873, the scientist finally finishes work on the two-volume work Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, which has become a truly encyclopedic heritage in the field of physics.

The great scientist died on November 5, 1879 from cancer and was buried near the family estate, in the Scottish village of Parton.

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Many scientific publications and journals have recently published articles about achievements in physics and modern scientists, and publications about physicists of the past are rare. We would like to correct this situation and recall one of the outstanding physicists of the last century, James Clerk Maxwell. This is a famous English physicist, the father of classical electrodynamics, statistical physics and many other theories, physical formulas and inventions. Maxwell became the founder and first head of the Cavendish Laboratory.

As you know, Maxwell came from Edinburgh and was born in 1831 into a noble family that had kinship with the Scottish surname Clerks of Penicuik. Maxwell's childhood was spent on the Glenlar estate. James' ancestors were politicians, poets, musicians and scientists. Probably, a penchant for the sciences was inherited by him.

James was brought up without a mother (since she died when he was 8 years old) by a father who cared for the boy. The father wanted his son to study natural Sciences. James immediately fell in love with technology and quickly developed practical skills. Little Maxwell took the first lessons at home with perseverance, since he did not like the harsh methods of education used by the teacher. Further training took place in an aristocratic school, where the boy showed great mathematical abilities. Maxwell especially liked geometry.

To many great people, geometry seemed an amazing science, and even at the age of 12 he spoke of a geometry textbook as a holy book. Maxwell loved geometry as well as other scientific luminaries, but he had a bad relationship with his schoolmates. They constantly came up with offensive nicknames for him and one of the reasons was his ridiculous clothes. Maxwell's father was considered an eccentric and bought his son clothes that made him smile.

Maxwell already in childhood showed great promise in the field of science. In 1814 he was sent to study at Edinburgh Grammar School, and in 1846 he was awarded a medal for merit in mathematics. His father was proud of his son and was given the opportunity to represent one of scientific works son before the board of the Edinburgh Academy of Sciences. This work concerned the mathematical calculations of elliptical figures. Then this work was called "On the drawing of ovals and on ovals with many tricks." It was written in 1846 and published to the masses in 1851.

Maxwell began to study physics intensively after transferring to the University of Edinburgh. Kalland, Forbes and others became his teachers. They immediately saw in James a high intellectual potential and an irresistible desire to study physics. Prior to this period, Maxwell had dealt with certain branches of physics and studied optics (he devoted a lot of time to the polarization of light and Newton's rings). In this he was helped by the famous physicist William Nicol, who at one time invented the prism.

Of course, other natural sciences were not alien to Maxwell, and he paid special attention to the study of philosophy, the history of science and aesthetics.

In 1850 he entered Cambridge, where Newton had once worked, and in 1854 received his academic degree. After that, his research touched the field of electricity and electrical installations. And in 1855 he was granted membership in the council of Trinity College.

Maxwell's first significant scientific work was On Faraday's Lines of Force, which appeared in 1855. At one time, Boltzmann said about Maxwell's article that this work has a deep meaning and shows how purposefully the young scientist approaches scientific work. Boltzmann believed that Maxwell not only understood the issues of natural science, but also made a special contribution to theoretical physics. Maxwell outlined in his article all the trends in the evolution of physics for the next few decades. Later, Kirchhoff, Mach and. came to the same conclusion.

How was the Cavendish Laboratory formed?

After completing his studies at Cambridge, James Maxwell remained here as a teacher and in 1860 he became a member of the Royal Society of London. At the same time, he moved to London, where he was given a position as head of the physics department at King's College, University of London. He worked in this position for 5 years.

In 1871, Maxwell returned to Cambridge and created the first laboratory in England for research in the field of physics, which was called the Cavendish Laboratory (in honor of Henry Cavendish). The development of the laboratory, which has become a real center scientific research, Maxwell devoted the rest of his life.

Little is known about Maxwell's life, as he kept no notes or diaries. He was a modest and shy person. Maxwell died at the age of 48 from cancer.

What is the scientific legacy of James Maxwell?

Maxwell's scientific activity covered many areas in physics: the theory of electromagnetic phenomena, the kinematic theory of gases, optics, the theory of elasticity, and others. The first thing that interested James Maxwell was the study and conduct of research in the physiology and physics of color vision.

Maxwell for the first time managed to get a color image, which was obtained due to the simultaneous projection of the red, green and blue range. By this, Maxwell once again proved to the world that the color image of vision is based on a three-component theory. This discovery marked the beginning of the creation of color photographs. In the period from 1857-1859, Maxwell was able to investigate the stability of Saturn's rings. His theory says that the rings of Saturn will be stable only under one condition - the unconnectedness of particles or bodies.

From 1855, Maxwell paid special attention to work in the field of electrodynamics. There are several scientific works of this period "On Faraday's lines of force", "On physical lines of force", "Treatise on electricity and magnetism" and "Dynamical theory of the electromagnetic field".

Maxwell and the theory of the electromagnetic field.

When Maxwell began to study electrical and magnetic phenomena, many of them were already well studied. Was created Coulomb's law, Ampère's law, it was also proved that magnetic interactions are connected by the action of electric charges. Many scientists of that time were supporters of the long-range theory, which states that the interaction occurs instantly and in empty space.

The main role in the theory of short-range action was played by the studies of Michael Faraday (30s XIX years century). Faraday argued that the nature of the electric charge is based on the surrounding electric field. The field of one charge is connected with the neighboring one in two directions. The currents interact with the help of a magnetic field. Magnetic and electric fields according to Faraday are described by him in the form of lines of force, which are elastic lines in a hypothetical medium - in the ether.

Maxwell supported Faraday's theory of the existence of electromagnetic fields, that is, he was a supporter of emerging processes around charge and current.

Maxwell explained Faraday's ideas in mathematical form, which was very much needed by physics. With the introduction of the field concept, the laws of Coulomb and Ampere became more convincing and deeply meaningful. In the concept of electromagnetic induction, Maxwell was able to consider the properties of the field itself. Under the action of an alternating magnetic field in empty space, an electric field with closed lines of force is generated. This phenomenon is called a vortex electric field.

Maxwell's next discovery was that an alternating electric field can generate a magnetic field, similar to a normal one. electric current. This theory was called the displacement current hypothesis. In the future, Maxwell expressed the behavior of electromagnetic fields in his equations.

Reference. Maxwell's equations are equations describing electromagnetic phenomena in various media and vacuum space, and also belong to classical macroscopic electrodynamics. This is a logical conclusion drawn from experiments based on the laws of electrical and magnetic phenomena.
The main conclusion of Maxwell's equations is the finiteness of the propagation of electrical and magnetic interactions, which distinguished the theory of short-range interaction and the theory of long-range interaction. Velocity characteristics approached the speed of light 300,000 km/s. This gave Maxwell reason to argue that light is a phenomenon associated with the action of electromagnetic waves.

Molecular-kinetic theory of Maxwell's gases.

Maxwell contributed to the study of molecular kinetic theory (now this science is called statistical mechanics). Maxwell was the first to come up with the idea of ​​the statistical nature of the laws of nature. He created the law of distribution of molecules by speeds, and he also managed to calculate the viscosity of gases in relation to speed indicators and the mean free path of gas molecules. Also, thanks to the work of Maxwell, we have a number of thermodynamic relations.

Reference. The Maxwell distribution is a theory of the velocity distribution of the molecules of a system under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. Thermodynamic equilibrium- this condition forward movement molecules described by the laws of classical dynamics.

Maxwell had many scientific works that were published: "The Theory of Heat", "Matter and Motion", "Electricity in Elementary Presentation" and others. Maxwell not only moved science into the period, but was also interested in its history. At one time he managed to publish the works of G. Cavendish, which he supplemented with his comments.

What will the world remember about James Clerk Maxwell?

Maxwell was active in the study of electromagnetic fields. His theory of their existence did not receive worldwide recognition until a decade after his death.

Maxwell was the first to classify matter and assign its own laws to each, which were not reduced to the laws of Newtonian mechanics.

Many scientists have written about Maxwell. The physicist R. Feynman said about him that Maxwell, who discovered the laws of electrodynamics, looked through the centuries into the future.

Epilogue. James Clerk Maxwell died November 5, 1879 in Cambridge. He was buried in a small Scottish village near his favorite church, which is located not far from his family estate.