Class 6: James Clerk Maxwell

Readings

Science in History, Volume 2

  8.5  The Mid Nineteenth Century 1830-70

pp. 544-554 (optional, but recommended)

   8.6  The Nineteenth-Century Advances in Science

pp. 554-560 (optional, but recommended)

   8.7  The Late Nineteenth Century 1870-95

pp. 560-567 (optional, but recommended)

Articles to view or download: 

• "How Professor Maxwell changed the world", a 2011 article in The Economist (3 pages); to view or download, click here

• "Faraday, Maxwell, and Hertz", a chapter from "Revolution in Science" by Bernard Cohen (7 pages); to view or download, click here. It may be a little difficult to understand in detail, so just take from it what you can. 

Points to Ponder

• Say that you have a container with two compartments separated by a removable barrier. Initially there's water in one, and deep red cranberry juice in the other. What happens when you remove the barrier? What do the contents look like after a long time?  Is it possible, or is it unlikely, highly unlikely, next to impossible, or impossible, for the initial condition to be restored? 

• Entropy is often taken as a measure of disorder in a system. The second law of thermodynamics says that entropy of a closed system always increases, meaning that the system evolves to greater disorder. 

  • • • Look around you and find some every-day examples of things that become disordered over time. Be prepared to tell about these examples in class. 

      • At times we impose greater order on things - for example, washing dishes and putting them away. Does this violate the principle that disorder always increases? Why or why not? 

Optional Reading and Viewing

For other reading and viewing, click on the link  Of Further Interest - Maxwell 

Updated Dec. 26. 2024