2015/04/28 by Isobel Falconer, Falconer, Isobel
Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Developments in Astronomy #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Science and Climate Studies #physics.hist-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1504.07437
17 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to the Proceedings of the International Conference on the History of Physics, Trinity College, Cambridge, UK, September 2014 to be published by IoP publishing
arxiv created 2015/04/28 · openalex publication_date 2015/04/28 · arxiv updated 2015/04/29 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
During the last five years of his life, 1874-79, James Clerk Maxwell was absorbed in editing the electrical researches of Henry Cavendish, performed 100 years earlier. This endeavour is often assumed to be a work of duty to the Cavendish family, and an unfortunate waste of Maxwell's time. By looking at the history of Cavendish's papers, and the editorial choices that Maxwell made, this paper questions this assumption, considering the importance of Cavendish's experiments in Maxwell's electrical programme, and the implications that he may have derived for developing a doctrine of experimental method.