Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
max·well Pronunciation:
'mak-swel Function:
noun : the cgs electromagnetic unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux per square centimeterof normal cross section in a region where the magnetic induction is one gauss
: 10
−8 weber
Maxwell,
James Clerk (1831–1879), Britishphysicist. Maxwell is ranked as the foremost physical scientist of the 19th century. His greatest achievement was the synthesis of the contributions of Faraday, Gauss, and Ampère into a singlecoherent electromagnetic theory. Of his several academic appointments the most important was the post of professor of experimental physics at Cambridge. He made contributions of fundamental importanceto many branches of physics. The maxwell, a unit of magnetic flux, was named in his honor.
[maks-wel, -wuh
l] 