Maxwell's Mathematical Rhetoric Rethinking the Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism

by Simpson, Thomas K.

• ISBN13: 9781888009361
• ISBN10: 1888009365
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: Green Lion Press

Summary

After many years of circulating in typescript form, this remarkable study by Thomas K. Simpson?a work long celebrated as something of an underground classic?is at long last available in a new edition worthy of its vision and depth. Green Lion Press is delighted to issue as a fine volume this work, the first major study of Maxwell's Treatise to take seriously the way Maxwell's presents his arguments. It is newly edited and presented in an attractive readable layout.

Table of Contents

The Green Lion's Preface xi
Editor's Note xii
Author's Preface to the Green Lion Edition xiii
Author's Preface (1968) xvii
The account of Faraday's Theory in the Treatise
Faraday's Thought on Electromagnetism	p. 3
The nature of science for Faraday	p. 4
Faraday's ultimate views on electromagnetism	p. 19
The Translation of Faraday's Ideas before Maxwell	p. 39
The "translation" of Faraday	p. 39
The interpretation of "lines of force"	p. 50
Magnetism and diamagnetisim	p. 79
Interpretations of Faraday's electrostatics	p. 62
Thomson's analytic translations of Faraday's ideas	p. 89
Maxwell's Initial Statement of Faraday's Electromagnetism	p. 111
The "direct" and "indirect" methods	p. 111
The theory of magnetic shells	p. 114
Commentary on Chapter I of Part iv of the Treatise	p. 118
Ampere's theory in the Treatise	p. 141
Electromagnetic rotations	p. 162
Commentary on Chapter III of Part iv of the Treatise	p. 175
Maxwell's Dynamical Theory of Electromagnetism
Maxwell's Exposition of the Lagrangian Equations	p. 201
Lagrangian theory in the Treatise	p. 201
Thomson and Tait's derivation of Lagrange's equations	p. 207
Maxwell's exposition of Lagrangian theory	p. 213
The Meaning of "Dynamical Theory" for Maxwell	p. 227
Physics	p. 227
Metaphysics	p. 241
The meaning of dynamical terms	p. 265
Application of Dynamical Theory to Electromagnetism	p. 271
The construction of the electromagnetic field	p. 289
Completion of the dynamical theory	p. 300
Resume of the dynamical theory	p. 312
Conclusion	p. 319
Bibliography	p. 323
Index	p. 343
About the Author	p. 351
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