James Maxwell Facts
James Maxwell was a scientist born to John Clerk and Frances Cay in Edinburgh, Scotland on June 13, 1831. He was an influential physicist and mathematician. He produced a set of equations which are best known as ‘Maxwell’s Equations’. He wrote his first scientific paper when he was only 14.
Fast Facts: –
- When James Clerk Maxwell was 25 years old, he became the professor of physics at Aberdeen University.
- In Aberdeen, he studied about Saturn’s rings for almost 2 years. And in 1859, he wrote a detailed essay called ‘On the Stability of Saturn’s Rings’.
- His conclusion of the topic was the rings of the planet comprised a multitude of small solid particles.
- Maxwell was awarded Adams Prize for his about Saturn’s Rings.
- He played an important role in establishing and designing the famous Cavendish Laboratory.
- In 1870, he got his paper ‘On Reciprocal figures, frames, and diagrams of forces’ published and in 1871, the text book ‘Theory of Heat’.
- In 1873, he gave the four equations which are known as Maxwell Equations.
- He has discovered the laws of electrodynamics. It is known as the most significant event of 19th century.
- The largest telescope in the world, at Mauna Key observatory in Hawaii is named in his honour. It is called ‘The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope’.
- He studied at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge.
- When he was only eight years old, his mother died of cancer.
- In 1858, he married Katherine Mary Dewar.
- He died of abdominal cancer on November 5, 1879 when he was 48 years old. His mother died of the same disease at the same age.