Professor Maxwells Duplicitous Demon..., Brian Clegg
Professor Maxwells Duplicitous Demon..., Brian Clegg
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Professor Maxwell's Duplicitous Demon
The Life and Science of James Clerk Maxwell

Author: Brian Clegg

Narrator: Simon Mattacks

Unabridged: 7 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/14/2019


Synopsis

Asked to name a great physicist, most people would mention Newton or Einstein, Feynman or Hawking. But ask a physicist and there’s no doubt that James Clerk Maxwell will be near the top of the list.Maxwell, an unassuming Victorian Scotsman, explained how we perceive colour. He uncovered the way gases behave. And, most significantly, he transformed the way physics was undertaken in his explanation of the interaction of electricity and magnetism, revealing the nature of light and laying the groundwork for everything from Einstein’s special relativity to modern electronics.Along the way, he set up one of the most enduring challenges in physics, one that has taxed the best minds ever since. ‘Maxwell’s demon’ is a tiny but thoroughly disruptive thought experiment that suggests the second law of thermodynamics, the law that governs the flow of time itself, can be broken. This is the story of a groundbreaking scientist, a great contributor to our understanding of the way the world works, and his duplicitous demon.

About Brian Clegg

Brian Clegg has written many science books, published by Icon and St. Martin’s Press. His most recent book for Icon was The Reality Frame. His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. He has written for Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times and The Observer.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Erik

In 2018, I read The Hunt for Vulcan and it was one of the top reads of the year. It was the story of how scientists discovered Uranus, Neptune, and tried to discover Vulcan before Einstein put an end to that silly idea. This one was similar in style, except that I’m embarrassed to say that this one......more

Goodreads review by Randy

This is a revealing book about science in the Victorian age and especially about the life of a scientist who I agree is most underrated and under-recognized by the general public. The narration (interludes) by "the demon" makes the story all that more fun and entertaining. I have revered Maxwell for......more

An excellent book, full of insights into the mind and the way of thinking of one of the greatest scientists in history. As an undergraduate student reading physics, I found the modern formulation of Maxwell's equations a little too abstract and difficult to grasp. Learning how Maxwell thought about......more

Goodreads review by Odo

3.5/5.0......more

Goodreads review by Michael

Good book, kinda confusing, will prob have to read again at some point......more