Nancy Forbes. (2014). Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics. Prometheus.

Nancy Forbes. 2014. Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics. Prometheus.

Nancy Forbes, Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics. Prometheus, 2014.

Nancy Forbes. Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics. Prometheus, 2014.

OverDrive Product Record

images

• cover:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG100.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• thumbnail:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG200.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover150Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG150.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover300Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG400.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg

formats

1. • identifiers:
     1. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781616149437
     2. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
   • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
   • id: ebook-epub-adobe
2. • identifiers:
     1. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
     2. • type: ASIN
        • value: B00F8EYYJ6
   • name: Kindle Book
   • id: ebook-kindle
3. • identifiers:
     1. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781616149437
     2. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
   • name: OverDrive Read
   • id: ebook-overdrive

otherFormatIdentifiers

1. • type: ISBN
   • value: 9781616149420

mediaType

eBook

primaryCreator

• role: Author
• name: Nancy Forbes

isOwnedByCollections

True

title

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field

dateAdded

2016-05-13T03:00:00Z

contentDetails

1. • href: https://link.overdrive.com?websiteID=141&titleID=1403218
   • type: text/html
   • account:
     • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
     • id: 1151

sortTitle

Faraday Maxwell and the Electromagnetic Field How Two Men Revolutionized Physics

crossRefId

1403218

subtitle

How Two Men Revolutionized Physics

id

FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6

starRating

4.1

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain

False

formats

1. • fileName: FaradayMaxwellandthe_9781616149437_1403218
   • partCount: 0
   • fileSize: 2546112
   • identifiers:
     1. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781616149437
     2. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
   • rights:
     1. • type: Copying
        • value: 0
     2. • type: Printing
        • value: 0
     3. • type: Lending
        • value: 0
     4. • type: ReadAloud
        • value: 1
     5. • type: ExpirationRights
        • value: 0
   • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
   • isReadAlong: False
   • id: ebook-epub-adobe
   • onSaleDate: 6/26/2019
   • samples:
     1. • source: From the book
        • formatType: ebook-overdrive
        • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/faraday-maxwell-and?.epub-sample.overdrive.com
2. • fileName: FaradayMaxwellandthe_1403218
   • partCount: 0
   • fileSize: 0
   • identifiers:
     1. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
     2. • type: ASIN
        • value: B00F8EYYJ6
   • name: Kindle Book
   • isReadAlong: False
   • id: ebook-kindle
   • onSaleDate: 6/26/2019
   • samples:
     1. • source: From the book
        • formatType: ebook-overdrive
        • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/faraday-maxwell-and?.epub-sample.overdrive.com
3. • fileName: FaradayMaxwellandthe_9781616149437_1403218
   • partCount: 0
   • fileSize: 0
   • identifiers:
     1. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781616149437
     2. • type: PublisherCatalogNumber
        • value: 236856
   • name: OverDrive Read
   • isReadAlong: False
   • id: ebook-overdrive
   • onSaleDate: 6/26/2019
   • samples:
     1. • source: From the book
        • formatType: ebook-overdrive
        • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/faraday-maxwell-and?.epub-sample.overdrive.com

keywords

1. • value: History of Science
2. • value: Biography
3. • value: Physics
4. • value: nasa
5. • value: Chemistry
6. • value: autobiographies
7. • value: philosophy
8. • value: Science
9. • value: electricity
10. • value: space
11. • value: Autobiography
12. • value: Theoretical Physics
13. • value: mathematics
14. • value: Innovation
15. • value: biographies
16. • value: History
17. • value: Technology
18. • value: Astronomy
19. • value: electromagnetics
20. • value: history books
21. • value: science books
22. • value: gifts for history buffs
23. • value: biographies of famous people
24. • value: science book
25. • value: physics books
26. • value: history gifts
27. • value: science books for adults
28. • value: science gifts
29. • value: physics book
30. • value: history buff gifts
31. • value: history lovers gifts
32. • value: history teacher gifts
33. • value: physics gifts
34. • value: science gifts for adults

creators

1. • role: Author
   • fileAs: Forbes, Nancy
   • bioText: Nancy Forbes is an experienced science writer with over twenty-five publications in the area of science and technology including Imitation of Life: How Biology Is Inspiring Computing. She has also served as a contributing editor for The Industrial Physicist of the American Institute of Physics, and IEEE's Computing in Science and Engineering. Currently, she works for the US Department of Defense.
     
     Basil Mahon is the author of The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell and Oliver Heaviside: Maverick Mastermind of Electricity, among other publications. With degrees in engineering and statistics, Mahon was formerly an officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and until his retirement worked for the British Government Statistical Service.
     
     
   • name: Nancy Forbes
2. • role: Author
   • fileAs: Mahon, Basil
   • name: Basil Mahon

publishDate

2014-03-11T00:00:00-04:00

isOwnedByCollections

True

title

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field

fullDescription

The story of two brilliant nineteenth-century scientists who discovered the electromagnetic field, laying the groundwork for the amazing technological and theoretical breakthroughs of the twentieth centuryTwo of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time were Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). This is the story of how these two men - separated in age by forty years - discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory which overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.The authors, veteran science writers with special expertise in physics and engineering, have created a lively narrative that interweaves rich biographical detail from each man's life with clear explanations of their scientific accomplishments. Faraday was an autodidact, who overcame class prejudice and a lack of mathematical training to become renowned for his acute powers of experimental observation, technological skills, and prodigious scientific imagination. James Clerk Maxwell was highly regarded as one of the most brilliant mathematical physicists of the age. He made an enormous number of advances in his own right. But when he translated Faraday's ideas into mathematical language, thus creating field theory, this unified framework of electricity, magnetism and light became the basis for much of later, 20th-century physics.Faraday's and Maxwell's collaborative efforts gave rise to many of the technological innovations we take for granted today - from electric power generation to television, and much more. Told with panache, warmth, and clarity, this captivating story of their greatest work - in which each played an equal part - and their inspiring lives will bring new appreciation to these giants of science.

reviews

1. • premium: False
   • source: Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
   • content: "Compelling. ...A lively account of the men and their times and a brilliant exposition of the scientific circumstances and significance of their work."
2. • premium: False
   • source: Eric D'Hoker, Distinguished Professor of Physics, UCLA; past president, Aspen Center for Physics
   • content: "The life and science of these two giants of nineteenth-century physics is beautifully documented and narrated in this riveting book."
3. • premium: False
   • source: Publishers Weekly
   • content: "Perhaps the names of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell aren't as well known as Newton or Einstein, but they should be. The book traces their amazing collaboration.... But as equally fascinating as the tale of the discovery is that of the men behind it.... A fascinating true tale of the lives of two essential men of physics!" --AstroGuyz "Blends science history and lively biography. ...Accessible writing and a feel for character make this an interesting look at two scientists whose work defined an era and set the course for modern physics."
4. • premium: False
   • source: Library Journal
   • content: "Fans of biographies, as well as anyone interested in science and technology...will enjoy reading about these 'two modest and genial men whose combined endeavors changed the world.'"
5. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     January 6, 2014
     Science writers Forbes (Imitation of Life) and Mahon (The Man Who Changed Everything) explore the lives of ground-breaking physicists Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell in this work that blends science history and lively biography. The authors describe how Faraday, a blacksmith’s son, abandoned a promising career as a bookbinder in 1813 to study the young science of electricity. Faraday’s attention to detail and skill as a “compulsive experimenter” led to the first electric motor, the first generator, and the idea that electricity and magnetism travel as waves, like sound and light. His work supported the concept of fields, but his lack of mathematical ability meant few took him seriously. Then Maxwell, a young professor from Marischal College in Aberdeen, Scotland, developed the math to back up Faraday’s ideas. A prodigy with a “quicksilver mind” prone to expressing his feelings through verse, Maxwell was fascinated with Faraday’s fields. Through Maxwell, these fields became a means of storing electromagnetic energy and transmitting forces to cause magnetic attraction and repulsion. Accessible writing and a feel for character make this an interesting look at two scientists whose work defined an era and set the course for modern physics.

6. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from January 15, 2014
     Forbes (Imitation of Life: How Biology Is Inspiring Computing, 2004, etc.) and Mahon (Oliver Heaviside: Maverick Mastermind of Electricity, 2009, etc.) offer a compelling new interpretation of the seminal importance of the discoveries of Michael Faraday (1791-1861) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). The authors explain "the way that Faraday and Maxwell's concept of the electromagnetic field transformed scientists' view of the physical world," beginning with Faraday's anticipation of a unified field theory that would include the force of gravity as well as electromagnetism and the propagation of light. His ideas were so advanced that not only did he reject the Newtonian concept of action-at-distance, then prevalent among scientists, but also the existence of an ether. "From today's perspective...Faraday, the bold theorist, was making an advance announcement of a scientific transformation that has given us not only electromagnetic theory but special relativity," write the authors. Faraday is credited as the brilliant experimentalist who "discovered the principle of the electric motor," while Maxwell, with his groundbreaking Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, laid the groundwork for modern field theory. Forbes and Mahon show that Maxwell adhered to Faraday's hypothesis that the propagation of electricity and magnetism in space occurred through the vibration of lines of force. He developed his famous equations by first adapting the mathematical treatment of fluid flow and a mechanical model of spinning cells with minute ball bearings as heuristic models. Only then did he dispense with these models and directly employ the "mathematical laws of dynamics" to electromagnetism, thus laying the basis for modern field theory. The authors emphasize that, for Maxwell, his use of models "didn't purport to represent nature's actual mechanism, it was merely a temporary aid to thought." A lively account of the men and their times and a brilliant exposition of the scientific circumstances and significance of their work.

     COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

7. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     February 15, 2014
     

     American science writer Forbes (U.S. Dept. of Defense; Imitation of Life: How Biology Is Inspiring Computing) has coauthored with Mahon (retired, British Govt. Statistical Svc.; The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell) an excellent biography of two "discoverers" (in the parlance of their time) who truly brought about the modern scientific age. Daringly, but with exacting experiments and proofs, Faraday (a scientifically adept Englishman) and his contemporary and successor Maxwell (a mathematically adept Scotsman) broke with the long tradition of the mostly mechanical worldview promulgated by Isaac Newton and uncovered much about how electricity and magnetism work. This book is rich in details about the social, scientific, and personal contexts in which these 19th-century geniuses worked, much as Daniel Kevles's The Physicists is about their 20th-century successors and is even more readable than that well-regarded work. The simple diagrams of some of Faraday's and Maxwell's devices, as well as excerpts from their letters, plus some photographic portraits, add further appeal to the title. VERDICT Fans of biographies, as well as anyone interested in science and technology (without these men, we would not have electric motors, televisions, or most of our current electronic devices) will enjoy reading about these "two modest and genial men whose combined endeavors changed the world."--Sara R. Tompson, Jet Propulsion Lab Lib., Pasadena, CA

     Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

popularity

125

links

• self:
  • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/fc78fecc-50c7-4faf-a2af-a601970c86f6/metadata
  • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json

id

fc78fecc-50c7-4faf-a2af-a601970c86f6

starRating

4.1

images

• cover:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG100.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• thumbnail:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG200.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover150Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG150.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover300Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1873-1/{FC78FECC-50C7-4FAF-A2AF-A601970C86F6}IMG400.JPG
  • type: image/jpeg

isPublicPerformanceAllowed

False

languages

1. • code: en
   • name: English

subjects

1. • value: Biography & Autobiography
2. • value: History
3. • value: Science
4. • value: Nonfiction

publishDateText

03/11/2014

otherFormatIdentifiers

1. • type: ISBN
   • value: 9781616149420

mediaType

eBook

shortDescription

The story of two brilliant nineteenth-century scientists who discovered the electromagnetic field, laying the groundwork for the amazing technological and theoretical breakthroughs of the twentieth centuryTwo of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time were Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). This is the story of how these two men - separated in age by forty years - discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory which overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.The authors, veteran science writers with special expertise in physics and engineering, have created a lively narrative that interweaves rich biographical detail from each man's life with clear explanations of their scientific accomplishments. Faraday was an autodidact, who overcame class prejudice and a lack of mathematical training to become renowned for his acute powers of experimental...

sortTitle

Faraday Maxwell and the Electromagnetic Field How Two Men Revolutionized Physics

crossRefId

1403218

subtitle

How Two Men Revolutionized Physics

publisher

Prometheus

bisacCodes

1. • code: BIO015000
   • description: Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology
2. • code: SCI022000
   • description: Science / Physics / Electromagnetism
3. • code: SCI034000
   • description: Science / History