Abstract

In the millennium poll, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was voted the third greatest physicist of all time – behind Newton and Einstein. But Maxwell’s extraordinary range of interests and achievements extended far beyond his well-known equations for electromagnetism and his thermodynamic relations, and this meeting will explore just a few of the fields in which Maxwell did seminal work. The day will begin with an overview of James Clerk Maxwell’s life and achievements. The talks following will highlight some topics in which current research is revealing interesting developments, but also looking back to Maxwell’s insights in laying the foundations for so much of our contemporary science.

There will be a small exhibition of artefacts including some of Maxwell’s models from the Cavendish collection.

James Clerk Maxwell had strong links with the Cambridge Philosophical Society during his time at Cambridge. He studied mathematics as an undergraduate – initially at Peterhouse, but moving to Trinity before the end of his first term. He graduated in 1854, and shortly afterwards presented his first paper On the transformation of surfaces by bending to the Cambridge Philosophical Society. His career took him to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and King’s College London before returning to Cambridge in 1871 to become the first Professor of Experimental Physics. He was President of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 1875-1877.