Did Maxwell truly follow Faraday's views in his theory?

In summary, the conversation discusses the relationship between Maxwell and Faraday's theories and how Maxwell incorporated his own ideas into Faraday's work. It is noted that this is not commonly known and that modern field theorists may not be interested in Faraday's work. The conversation also mentions the importance of scientific ideas regardless of when they were formulated, and provides references for further reading on Faraday. Additionally, it briefly touches on the topic of Maxwell potentially discovering the theory of relativity before Einstein, but dying at a young age.
  • #1
TrickyDicky
3,507
27
Although it is usually stated and taught that Maxwell developed pretty faithfully Faraday's views and experimental work into a mathematically solid theory, it is probably not widely known this is actually only partially correct, as Maxwell in fact changed much of Faraday's original theoretical framework in favor of his own(for example the ether idea that Faraday rejected explicitly), which is understandable since he was not obliged to follow them, regardless his true admiration for the figure of Faraday. But nevertheless this theoretical breach was almost concealed or not sufficiently addressed at least by him and posterior theorists and historians of science.
For info on Faraday see for instance the well known works of Agassi and Williams.

I wonder what a mathematical treatment trully faithful to Faraday's original views would look like, but I don't think modern field theorists are much interested on his theoric work.
 
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  • #2
Are you not mixing up interpretation and theory?
The scaffoldings that Maxwell needed have been removed long ago.
Could you be more specific?
And why would history matter from a scientific point of view?
 
  • #3
maajdl said:
Are you not mixing up interpretation and theory?
I don't think I'm interpreting, the writings of Faraday and the references I gave are easily accessible.
The scaffoldings that Maxwell needed have been removed long ago.
Sure, by Einstein's relativity.
Could you be more specific?
Yes, for instance matter and fields were the same thing in Faraday's view but distinct in Maxwell's. Einstein apparently tended more to Faraday's view in this respect.
And why would history matter from a scientific point of view?
Not history, scientific ideas regardless of the time they were formulated should matter from a scientific point of view, more so when they have not been fully acknowledged and developed.
 
  • #4
But to me, the well-known works of Agassi and Williams are totally unknown!
On Google, it returned me tennis information!
Could you give me the exact references?
 
  • #5
maajdl said:
But to me, the well-known works of Agassi and Williams are totally unknown!
On Google, it returned me tennis information!
Could you give me the exact references?
Ha Ha, sorry about that!
"Faraday as a Natural Philosopher"(University of Chicago Press) by Joseph Agassi
"Michael Faraday: A Biography"(Basic Books) by L. Pearce Williams
"Experimental Researches in Electricity" by Michael Faraday


In any case I didn't intend the thread as a history discussion, but a physics one. I didn't even know this subforum existed and looking at the other threads mine feels really misplaced here. I guess one could fit it in a more specific "Physics history" subforum, but oddly enough for a Physics forums there isn't any.
 
  • #6
Maxwell was a smart man he could have found the theory of relativity before Einstein but he unfortunately died very soon
 
  • #7
Maxwell died in November 1879 at 48.
Einstein was then 8 months old.
In 1905, Einstein was 26.
 
  • #8
48 is a young age you see...
 

1. What is the difference between Faraday and Maxwell?

Faraday and Maxwell were both influential scientists in the field of electromagnetism. However, while Faraday made important discoveries about the relationship between electricity and magnetism, Maxwell developed a comprehensive mathematical theory to explain this relationship. Essentially, Faraday's work laid the foundation for Maxwell's more advanced theories.

2. Who came up with the concept of the electromagnetic field?

The concept of the electromagnetic field was first proposed by Faraday. He believed that all space was filled with a medium called the "ether," which was responsible for transmitting electric and magnetic forces.

3. What is Faraday's law of induction?

Faraday's law of induction states that a changing magnetic field can induce an electric current in a conductor. This discovery was crucial in the development of generators and transformers, which are based on the principle of electromagnetic induction.

4. What is Maxwell's contribution to electromagnetism?

Maxwell is best known for his formulation of the mathematical theory of electromagnetism, known as Maxwell's equations. These equations describe the relationship between electric and magnetic fields, and they are still considered the foundation of modern electromagnetic theory.

5. Which scientist's work had a greater impact on modern physics?

Both Faraday and Maxwell's work had a significant impact on modern physics. However, Maxwell's theories and equations have proven to be more influential, as they have been further developed and expanded upon by other scientists, leading to breakthroughs in areas such as quantum mechanics and relativity.

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