Maxwell

Melvyn Bragg and guests discusses the life and ideas of James Clerk Maxwell whose work is not widely known, but whose genius and contribution to the age in which we live is enormous.He took the first colour photograph, defined the nature of gases and with a few mathematical equations expressed all the fundamental laws of light, electricity and magnetism - and in doing so he provided the tools to create the technological age, from radar to radio and televisions to mobile phones. He is credited with fundamentally changing our view of reality, so much so that Albert Einstein said, “One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell”. But who was James Clerk Maxwell? What were his ideas, and does this nineteenth century ‘natural philosopher’ deserve a place alongside Newton and Einstein in the pantheon of science?

→ Play on BBC Sounds website

Guests

• Simon Schaffer 25 episodes
  Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge
• Peter Harman No other episodes
  Professor of the History of Science at Lancaster University
• Joanna Haigh 2 episodes
  Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London

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Programme ID: p005491g

Episode page: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005491g

Auto-category: 530.092 (Maxwell, James Clerk, 1831-1879)

Hello (First sentence from this episode)

Hello. He took the first colour photograph, defined the nature of gases, and with a few elegant mathematical equations, expressed all the fundamental laws of light, electricity and magnetism.