3 ms·
iirc Maxwell had already shown that the speed of light was constant. Einstein's quest was to explain htf that could be the case. The word Maxwell appears in the
by dboreham 2y ago
iirc Maxwell had already shown that the speed of light was constant. Einstein's quest was to explain htf that could be the case. The word Maxwell appears in the first sentence of the 1905 paper, and the first couple of pages are about what today we would call "causality".
- jerf 2y agoIn the modern formulation and understanding of Maxwell's equations, yes, they do show that the speed of light is a constant. However, in the context of the time they were written, it was not known whether or not that was a true fact of the universe or if that meant the equations were incorrect. In the historical context I'd classify it as a "clue" but not a proof. Proof really came from observations.