A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Volume 0

Front Cover
Courier Corporation, Jan 1, 1954 - Science - 532 pages

"Maxwell is without a peer … this printing is an opportunity to become thoroughly acquainted with the thought of the greatest of our electrical scientists." — School Science and Math.
Here is the final elaboration of Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, including the systematic and rigorous derivation of his general equations of field theory. These equations continue to occupy a central position in the modern physicist's view of the physical world. They are a magnificent summary of the fundamental advances in electricity and magnetism, and later inspired the theories of Lorentz on the electron and Einstein on relativity. Einstein himself has said that "The formulation of these equations is the most important event in physics since Newton's time" — The Evolution of Physics.
Volume 2, Part III, "Magnetism," develops a theory of magnetism through the study of solenoids and shells, magnetic induction, methods of observation, and terrestrial magnetism. Part IV, "Electromagnetism," covers the mutual action of electric currents, the equations of motion of a connected system, Maxwell's dynamical theory of electromagnetism, the equations of the electromagnetic field, dimensions of electric units, parallel and circular currents, coils, and the electromagnetic theory of light and foundation of the theory of relativity.

 

Contents

PART III
1
Expansion of the potential of a magnet in spherical harmonics
17
The action of this current compared with that of a magnetic
20
An elongated cylinder Magnetic force
23
Vectorpotential of magnetic induction
29
A solenoid
34
The potential at a point on the positive side of a shell
36
Theory of the vectorpotential of a closed curve
45
Thomsons sensitive coil
366
Properties of a magnet when acted on by the earth
371
Motion in a logarithmic spiral
375
The quantities of the opposite kinds of magnetism in a magnet
377
Properties of a magnetic particle
383
Potential energy of a magnet in any field of force
389
If terms involving products of velocities and currents existed
390
CHAPTER XVII
392

Mathematical theory of magnetic induction Poissons method
54
Corresponding case in two dimensions Fig
65
On ships magnetism
75
CHAPTER VII
95
Principle of collimation employed in the Kew magnetometer
101
Observations of deflexion
108
Observation of vibrations
110
Case when is large
123
Gauss calculation of the 24 coefficients of the first four har
132
PART IV
138
Comparison between the circuit and a magnetic shell
144
Kinematical analysis of the phenomena
163
ON THE INDUCTION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
175
Conjugate positions of two coils
184
CHAPTER IV
195
Kinetic energy in terms of momenta T₂
205
CHAPTER VI
211
THEORY OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
223
CHAPTER VIII
229
Theory of a sliding piece
235
The general equations referred to moving axes
241
Electromagnetic force on an element of a conducting body
244
Relation between magnetic force and electric currents
251
The ratio of the corresponding units in the two systems
257
374
263
Explanation of these forces by the hypothesis of stress in
276
Action of a variable magnetic system on the sheet
295
A long solenoid
297
Trail of images in the form of a helix
303
is the magnetic force
306
CHAPTER XIII
315
of the electric potential
321
Geometrical mean distance of two figures in a plane
324
CHAPTER XIV
331
Potential of two parallel circles expressed by elliptic integrals
338
Force acting on a conductor carrying a current
347
CHAPTER XV
351
ments
352
CHAPTER XVIII
402
Kirchhoffs method
403
Webers method by transient currents
404
His method of observation
405
Definition of a magnetic solenoid
407
Thomsons method by a revolving coil
408
Mathematical theory of the revolving coil
409
Calculation of the resistance
410
Corrections
411
CHAPTER XIX
413
The ratio of the units is a velocity
414
Current by convection
415
Weber and Kohlrauschs method
416
Thomsons method by separate electrometer and electrodyna mometer
417
Maxwells method by combined electrometer and electrodyna mometer
418
Electromagnetic measurement of the capacity of a condenser Jenkins method
419
Method by an intermittent current
420
Condenser and Wippe as an arm of Wheatstones bridge
421
Correction when the action is too rapid
423
Capacity of a condenser compared with the selfinduction of a coil
425
Coil and condenser combined
427
Electrostatic measure of resistance compared with its electro magnetic measure
430
Comparison of the properties of the electromagnetic medium
431
Case of a solid sphere the coefficients of magnetization being
435
The specific inductive capacity of a dielectric is the square
437
CHAPTER XXI
451
Method of tangents and method of sines
455
Observation of the dipcircle
461
CHAPTER XXII
471
Örsteds discovery of the action of an electric current on
475
Relative motion of four electric particles Fechners theory
481
The formula of Gauss leads to an erroneous result
489
Action of one electric circuit on the whole or any portion
492
Repugnance to the idea of a medium
495
174
497
Statement of the laws of electromagnetic force Magnetic force
498
33
499
Copyright

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About the author (1954)

James Clerk Maxwell: In His Own Words — And Others
Dover reprinted Maxwell's Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism in 1954, surely one of the first classics of scientific literature over a thousand pages in length to be given new life and accessibility to students and researchers as a result of the paperback revolution of the 1950s. Matter and Motion followed in 1991 and Theory of Heat in 2001.

Some towering figures in science have to speak for themselves. Such is James Clerk Maxwell (1813–1879), the Scottish physicist and mathematician who formulated the basic equations of classical electromagnetic theory.

In the Author's Own Words:
"We may find illustrations of the highest doctrines of science in games and gymnastics, in traveling by land and by water, in storms of the air and of the sea, and wherever there is matter in motion."

"The 2nd law of thermodynamics has the same degree of truth as the statement that if you throw a tumblerful of water into the sea, you cannot get the same tumblerful of water out again." — James Clerk Maxwell

Critical Acclaim for James Clerk Maxwell:
"From a long view of the history of mankind — seen from, say, ten thousand years from now — there can be little doubt that the most significant event of the 19th century will be judged as Maxwell's discovery of the laws of electrodynamics. The American Civil War will pale into provincial insignificance in comparison with this important scientific event of the same decade." — Richard P. Feynman

"Maxwell's equations have had a greater impact on human history than any ten presidents." — Carl Sagan

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