Editing Cavendish : Maxwell and The Electrical Researches of Henry Cavendish
Abstract
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.
Citation
Falconer , I 2017 , Editing Cavendish : Maxwell and The Electrical Researches of Henry Cavendish . in M J Cooper , E A Davis , P M Schuster & D L Weaire (eds) , Proceedings of the First International Conference on the History of Physics—Trinity College Cambridge, 4–5 September 2014 : With the main focus: "Electromagnetism - the Road to Power" . Living Edition/STARNA , Pöllauberg, Austria , International Conference on the History of Physics , Cambridge , United Kingdom , 4-5 September . conference
Version
Preprint
Publication
Proceedings of the First International Conference on the History of Physics—Trinity College Cambridge, 4–5 September 2014
URI
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1504/1504.07437.pdfhttps://www.livingedition.at/en/isbn/9783901585357/
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11531
Type
Conference item
Rights
Copyright the Author 2014
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