Maxwell: A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field

What changed

Electric, magnetic and optical phenomena could be treated within one field theory.

Scientific scope

The electromagnetic field synthesis and electromagnetic account of light in the 1865 paper.

Evidence

The cited historical record or published author account supports this scoped contribution. The source-reading boundary is stated at each link; a WRS grade is not an independent scientific validation.

Contributors

• James Clerk Maxwell · SCIENCE: Field-theoretic synthesis.
• Michael Faraday and other predecessors · SCIENCE: Distinct experimental and conceptual antecedents.

• Smithsonian: original 1865 volume
• Royal Society original manuscript

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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