The Origins of Field Theory by Pearce L. Williams

by Pearce L. Williams

Originally published by Random House in 1966, this classic work is an indepth analysis of the pioneering work of Michael Faraday. Since Faraday was the major architect of field theory, the book focuses on the evolution of his ideas and their impact on the scientific community of the nineteenth century. The concluding chapter discusses the more mathematical contribution of James Maxwell, who was instrumental in turning Faraday's heresies into the orthodoxy of classical field theory.

Paperback

First published February 28, 1989

Reviews

[Fraser Kinnear · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have appreciated this a lot more if I came in with a deeper understanding of electromagnetism and field theory, and the ideas that were finally settled on. This book traces the development of the theory, giving equal time and attention to the incomplete ideas as they developed and changed. I would have benefitted much more from simply having a deep / thorough explanation of the ultimate prevailing theory.

[Saidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Origins of Field Theory was at times difficult to follow as it was very technical and the writing included terms common to a particular scientific era. That being said I still enjoyed reading it as it made me realize how revolutionary an idea it was to conceptualize about light and electricity in a mathematical way - something that Newton hinted at in his book Optiks. It is difficult to grasp the genius behind this idea since in the modern day we take it for granted and know that nature can be represented mathematically.