Talk:James Clerk Maxwell/Draft

Finished Maxwell

I finished this article for the time being. I invite native speakers to remove my linguistic idiosyncracies.--Paul Wormer 12:11, 7 August 2008 (CDT)

Some Suggestions per Approval

• First Paragraph: I'm not overly enthusiastic about phrases such as "He is regarded by most modern physicists" and he "is ranked." It reads like this article is trying to sell us a bill of goods that we wouldn't normally buy. This paragraph should assert Maxwell's greatness on his own merits (as it does in the first sentence and the last sentence of this section) and not assert his greatness by association. The guy invented the modern field of electro-magnetism which is the foundation of modern physics.

This article also got me wondering: Was Maxwell responsible for advancing the ether model? Because the next big thing with light was the Michelson-Morley Experiment attempting to measure the ether drift of light. [btw, the experiment is on display in one of the admin buildings at Case from where I graduated. (okay, I'm proud...)]

Overall, this is a fine article. It deals with the biography of an important physicist and it discusses that physicist's important contributions in a manner that is understandable for other physicists. I must admit that I skipped over a lot of the discussion dealing with formulas (but that's typical non-specialist reader's behavior). I wonder, though, if a common reader will get the theory being presented (I didn't; I skipped it). There is also the irony here where the article says "accessible to the modern reader" but goes on to present the formula.

I think both. The article needs to (& does) speak to two different levels of readers. Russell D. Jones 19:07, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

London

Since this is such a large re-write, I'm proposing it here first: Russell D. Jones 15:56, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Current text:

In London, Maxwell did most of his great work on electromagnetism, but he also worked on his colour theory and kinetic theory of gases. His earliest biographers, Lewis Campbell and William Garnett<ref>L. Campbell and W. Garnett, The Life of James Clerk Maxwell, MacMillan, London (1882) Online</ref>, discuss this period:<blockquote><i>

During most of the King's College time Maxwell resided at 8 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, where he carried on many of his experiments in a large garret which ran the whole length of the house. When experimenting at the window with the colour-box (which was painted black, and nearly eight feet long), he excited the wonder of his neighbours, who thought him mad to spend so many hours in staring into a coffin. This was also the scene of his well-known experiments on the viscosity of gases at different pressures and temperatures. For some days a large fire was kept up in the room, though it was in the midst of very hot weather. Kettles were kept on the fire, and large quantities of steam allowed to flow into the room. Mrs. Maxwell acted as stoker, which was very exhausting work when maintained for several consecutive hours. After this the room was kept cool, for subsequent experiments, by the employment of a considerable amount of ice.</i></blockquote>

In June 1861, at the age of just 29, Maxwell became a fellow of the Royal Society of London, which entitled him to the postnominal FRS.

I suggest:

"In London, Maxwell did most of his great work on electromagnetism, but he also worked on his colour theory and kinetic theory of gases in his garrett laboratory. He earned a reputation, at least among his neighbors, as an eccentric scientist. His colour experiments had him gazing into a long, coffin-like, lightbox. His gas experiments were conducted with steam during the dead of summer. His wife, as de-facto lab assistant, kept the stove stoked and water boiling through many hot summer afternoons. And other experiments required cooler temperatures provided by large amounts of ice, probably also hauled to the garrett by his wife.<ref>Lewis Campbell and William Garnett, The Life of James Clerk Maxwell, MacMillan, London (1882) Online</ref> These experiments, among his peers, earned him great respect as in June 1861, at the age of just 29, Maxwell became a fellow of the Royal Society of London, which entitled him to the postnominal FRS."

I agree with this, I quoted Campbell and Garnett literally because I felt that their English was better than mine, but now you retold their story excellently.

I'm not sure about the term "garret", though. To me it sounds like smallish room in the attic (whereas I understand it was pretty large), but I'm not very familiar with the word, so if you feel that it doesn't need to be qualified I accept that. --Paul Wormer 16:07, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

I also associate garret with cramped but I don't think the word itself implies this association. Possibly this is just our own experience being imposed onto the meaning? Chris Day 16:39, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

I kept the term (and repeated it) because there is a lot of literature and popular traditions surrounding the myth of "the lone inventor in his garret" [or scientist in this case]. The myth reinforces an ideology of individualism, which is rarely the case (witness Maxwell's wife). I'm not committed to the term. Could we say "in a laboratory he established in the top floor of his London home" ?

Yes, I concede also that Campbell and Garnett have better prose than mine. It's the blockquote and its content to which I object. I don't see that the content of the quote adds to the point of the paragraph, which is, that Maxwell's London experiments, conducted in his attic, earned him the respect of his scientific peers and induction into the Royal Society. I find it really interesting, however, that the Campbell and Garnett quote brings out the centrality of Mrs. Maxwell in the man's success. Russell D. Jones 17:16, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Spelling of units

See nist. Names in full not capitalized (hertz, newton) abbreviated capital (Hz, N). It is inconsistent, but I can't help it.--Paul Wormer 17:09, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Interesting, I never knew that after all these years in science, I'm embarrassed to say :) Chris Day 17:18, 6 February 2009 (UTC)