Vol. 149
Latest Volume
All Volumes
PIER 179 [2024] PIER 178 [2023] PIER 177 [2023] PIER 176 [2023] PIER 175 [2022] PIER 174 [2022] PIER 173 [2022] PIER 172 [2021] PIER 171 [2021] PIER 170 [2021] PIER 169 [2020] PIER 168 [2020] PIER 167 [2020] PIER 166 [2019] PIER 165 [2019] PIER 164 [2019] PIER 163 [2018] PIER 162 [2018] PIER 161 [2018] PIER 160 [2017] PIER 159 [2017] PIER 158 [2017] PIER 157 [2016] PIER 156 [2016] PIER 155 [2016] PIER 154 [2015] PIER 153 [2015] PIER 152 [2015] PIER 151 [2015] PIER 150 [2015] PIER 149 [2014] PIER 148 [2014] PIER 147 [2014] PIER 146 [2014] PIER 145 [2014] PIER 144 [2014] PIER 143 [2013] PIER 142 [2013] PIER 141 [2013] PIER 140 [2013] PIER 139 [2013] PIER 138 [2013] PIER 137 [2013] PIER 136 [2013] PIER 135 [2013] PIER 134 [2013] PIER 133 [2013] PIER 132 [2012] PIER 131 [2012] PIER 130 [2012] PIER 129 [2012] PIER 128 [2012] PIER 127 [2012] PIER 126 [2012] PIER 125 [2012] PIER 124 [2012] PIER 123 [2012] PIER 122 [2012] PIER 121 [2011] PIER 120 [2011] PIER 119 [2011] PIER 118 [2011] PIER 117 [2011] PIER 116 [2011] PIER 115 [2011] PIER 114 [2011] PIER 113 [2011] PIER 112 [2011] PIER 111 [2011] PIER 110 [2010] PIER 109 [2010] PIER 108 [2010] PIER 107 [2010] PIER 106 [2010] PIER 105 [2010] PIER 104 [2010] PIER 103 [2010] PIER 102 [2010] PIER 101 [2010] PIER 100 [2010] PIER 99 [2009] PIER 98 [2009] PIER 97 [2009] PIER 96 [2009] PIER 95 [2009] PIER 94 [2009] PIER 93 [2009] PIER 92 [2009] PIER 91 [2009] PIER 90 [2009] PIER 89 [2009] PIER 88 [2008] PIER 87 [2008] PIER 86 [2008] PIER 85 [2008] PIER 84 [2008] PIER 83 [2008] PIER 82 [2008] PIER 81 [2008] PIER 80 [2008] PIER 79 [2008] PIER 78 [2008] PIER 77 [2007] PIER 76 [2007] PIER 75 [2007] PIER 74 [2007] PIER 73 [2007] PIER 72 [2007] PIER 71 [2007] PIER 70 [2007] PIER 69 [2007] PIER 68 [2007] PIER 67 [2007] PIER 66 [2006] PIER 65 [2006] PIER 64 [2006] PIER 63 [2006] PIER 62 [2006] PIER 61 [2006] PIER 60 [2006] PIER 59 [2006] PIER 58 [2006] PIER 57 [2006] PIER 56 [2006] PIER 55 [2005] PIER 54 [2005] PIER 53 [2005] PIER 52 [2005] PIER 51 [2005] PIER 50 [2005] PIER 49 [2004] PIER 48 [2004] PIER 47 [2004] PIER 46 [2004] PIER 45 [2004] PIER 44 [2004] PIER 43 [2003] PIER 42 [2003] PIER 41 [2003] PIER 40 [2003] PIER 39 [2003] PIER 38 [2002] PIER 37 [2002] PIER 36 [2002] PIER 35 [2002] PIER 34 [2001] PIER 33 [2001] PIER 32 [2001] PIER 31 [2001] PIER 30 [2001] PIER 29 [2000] PIER 28 [2000] PIER 27 [2000] PIER 26 [2000] PIER 25 [2000] PIER 24 [1999] PIER 23 [1999] PIER 22 [1999] PIER 21 [1999] PIER 20 [1998] PIER 19 [1998] PIER 18 [1998] PIER 17 [1997] PIER 16 [1997] PIER 15 [1997] PIER 14 [1996] PIER 13 [1996] PIER 12 [1996] PIER 11 [1995] PIER 10 [1995] PIER 09 [1994] PIER 08 [1994] PIER 07 [1993] PIER 06 [1992] PIER 05 [1991] PIER 04 [1991] PIER 03 [1990] PIER 02 [1990] PIER 01 [1989]
2014-11-09
Reflections on Maxwell's Treatise (Invited Paper)
By
Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 149, 217-249, 2014
Abstract
Over a period of about twenty years, Maxwell's determination and unification of the equations of electricity and magnetism evolved from his first paper on the subject in 1855-56, ``Faraday's Lines of Force,'' to the publication of his Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism in 1873. Notwithstanding the many historical accounts and textbooks devoted to Maxwell's work, I have not been able to find a reasonably concise, yet definitive summary of the fundamentals of exactly what Maxwell did in his Treatise and how he did it. This paper represents my own attempt to provide such a summary.
Citation
Arthur D. Yaghjian, "Reflections on Maxwell's Treatise (Invited Paper)," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 149, 217-249, 2014.
doi:10.2528/PIER14092503
References

1. Maxwell, J. C., A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd edition, Dover, New York, 1954; The Dover edition is an unabridged, slightly altered, republication of the third edition, published by the Clarendon Press in 1891.

2. Yaghjian, A. D., "Reflections on Maxwell's treatise," ET2007 XXIII Annual Meeting of the Research Groups on Electrical Engineering, Florence, Italy, Jun. 2007; also Proceedings of PIERS, Guangzhou, China, Aug. 2014.

3. Whittaker, E., A History of the Theories of Aether & Electricity, Dover, New York, 1989; originally, Thomas Nelson and Sons , 1951.

4. Buchwald, J. Z., "From Maxwell to Microphysics," University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1985.

5. Hunt, B. J., The Maxwellians, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1991.

6. Sarkar, T. K., R. J. Mailloux, A. A. Oliner, M. Salazar-Palma, and D. L. Sengupta, History of Wireless, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2006.
doi:10.1002/0471783021

7. Bucci, O. M., "The genesis of Maxwell's equations,", Chapter 4 in History of Wireless, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2006.

8. Arthur, J. W., "The evolution of Maxwell's equations from 1862 to the present day," IEEE Antennas Propagat. Mag., Vol. 55, 61-81, Jun. 2013.
doi:10.1109/MAP.2013.6586627

9. Campbell, L. and W. Garnett, The Life of James Clerk Maxwell, Macmillan, London, 1884.

10. Knott, C. G., Life and Scientific Work of Peter Guthrie Tait, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1911.

11. Giorgi, G., "Letter to Oliver Heaviside, 11 March 1902,", obtainable online from the International Electrotechnical Commission, 1902.

12. Einstein, A., "Maxwell's influence on the development of the conception of physical reality," James Clerk Maxwell: A Commemorative Volume 1831-1931, University Press, Cambridge, 1931.

13. Maxwell, J. C., "Molecules," Nature, Vol. 8, 437-441, Sep. 1873, doi:10.1038/008437a0.

14. Larmor, J., "A dynamical theory of the electric and luminiferous medium --- Part II. Theory of electrons," Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London (A), 695-743, 1895.
doi:10.1098/rsta.1895.0020

15. Leathem, J. G., "On the theory of the magneto-optic phenomena of iron, nickel, and cobalt," Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London (A), 89-127, 1897.
doi:10.1098/rsta.1897.0016

16. Lorentz, H. A., "The fundamental equations for electromagnetic phenomena in ponderable bodies deduced from the theory of electrons," Proc. Roy. Acad. Amsterdam, Vol. 5, 254-266, Sep. 1902.

17. Heaviside, O., "Electrization and electrification. Natural electrets," The Electrician, 230-231, Aug. 1885.

18. Larmor, J., Aether and Matter, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1900.

19. Dyson, F. J., "Why is Maxwell's theory so hard to understand?," James Clerk Maxwell Commemorative Booklet, James Clerk Maxwell Foundation, Edinburgh, 1999.

20. Selvan, K. T., "A revisiting of scientific and philosophical perspectives on Maxwell's displacement current," IEEE Antennas Propagat. Mag., Vol. 51, 36-46, Jun. 2009.
doi:10.1109/MAP.2009.5251190

21. Landini, M., "About the physical reality of `Maxwell's displacement current' in classical electrodynamics," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 144, 329-343, 2014.
doi:10.2528/PIER13111501

22. Feynman, R. P., The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Reading, Addison-Wesley, MA, 1964.

23. Jackson, J. D., Classical Electrodynamics, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1999.

24. Hall, E. H., "On a new action of the magnet on electric currents," American Journal of Mathematics, Vol. 2, 287-292, 1879.
doi:10.2307/2369245

25. Shockley, W. and R. P. James, "Try simplest cases discovery of hidden momentum forces on magnetic currents," Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 18, 876-879, 1967.
doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.18.876

26. Penfield Jr., P. and H. A. Haus, Electrodynamics of Moving Media, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, MA, 1967.

27. Hansen, T. B. and A. D. Yaghjian, Plane-wave Theory of Time-domain Fields, IEEE/Wiley, New York, 1999.
doi:10.1109/9780470545522

28. Stratton, J. A., Electromagnetic Theory, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1941.

29. Tai, C.-T., Generalized Vector and Dyadic Analysis, IEEE/Wiley, New York, 1997.
doi:10.1109/9780470544754

30. Ohanian, H. C., Einstein's Mistakes: Human Failings of Genius, W. W. Norton, New York, 2008.

31. Heaviside, O., "Electromagnetic induction and propagation," Electrical Papers, Chapter 30, Macmillan, London, 1892.

32. O'Connor, J. J. and E. F. Robertson, "A visit to James Clerk Maxwell's House, November 1997,", 1997, (The house is owned by the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation), available online at http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Maxwell House.html.