James Maxwell was one of the most prolific mathematicians of his time. He made huge leaps in applied mathematics with his creation of four differential equations to describe the relationships of electricity and magnetism. These equations form the basis for our wireless technologies. Maxwell is known first and foremost as a physicist, yet it is his application of mathematical equations to explain complicated physical events which has helped define the universe as we understand it today. He not only extended the field of mathematics through his four main equations, but he also invented a totally new factor, the curl, which is used in vector calculus. Furthermore Maxwell is also the inventor of equations of thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of gases which are still used today.
             James Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh Scotland on June 13, 1831. Maxwell was born with a natural curiosity that stayed with him through out his life; this is easily seen through a letter written by Maxwell's father speaking about him at the age of three.
             He is a very happy man, and has improved much since the weather got moderate ; he has great work with doors, locks, keys etc., and "Show me how it doos'" is never out of his mouth. He also investigates the hidden course of streams and bell-wires, the way the water gets from the pond through the wall and a pend or small bridge and down a drain...(3)
             By the age of eight Maxwell's mother died. The first plan of his parents, to educate him at home till the age of 13 fell through, thus Maxwell went to one of the better academies in the world at the time: Edinburgh Academy. (3)
             By the age of 14, Maxwell wrote a paper on ovals. In this paper he generalized the definition of an ellipse by defining the locus of a point where the sum of m times the distance from one fixed point plus n times the distance from a second fixed point is constant. If m=n=1 then the curve is an e...