Self Taught Genius: Re-wrote Maxwell in Practical Terms, A Visionary in his Own Right
Introduction
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) was an English self-taught mathematician and physicist. He made significant contributions by adapting complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits, inventing the operator method for solving linear differential equations, and reformulating Maxwell’s field equations.
Early Life and Self-Education
Heaviside was largely self-taught, which contributed to his unique approach to mathematics and physics.
Contributions
Heaviside’s contributions spanned several areas of electrical science and mathematics. He:
- Adapted complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits.
- Invented the operator method for solving linear differential equations, a precursor to Laplace transform methods.
- Reformulated Maxwell’s field equations in terms of electric and magnetic forces and energy flux.
- Independently co-formulated vector analysis.
- Independently discovered the Poynting vector.
- Advanced the idea of the ionosphere, an ionized layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
- Invented the Heaviside step function, using it to model current in electric circuits.
- Developed transmission line theory (the “telegrapher’s equations”), increasing transmission rates over transatlantic cables by a factor of ten.
- Discovered that placing electrical inductance in series with a cable greatly improved telephone transmission.
- Coined several terms used in electromagnetic theory:
- Admittance
- Conductance
- Impedance
- Inductance
- Permeability
- Permittance (later susceptance)
- Reluctance.
Some of his important papers include:
- 1888/89, “Electromagnetic waves, the propagation of potential, and the electromagnetic effects of a moving charge”, The Electrician.
- 1889, “On the Electromagnetic Effects due to the Motion of Electrification through a Dielectric”, Phil. Mag. S.5 27: 324.
Vision
Heaviside’s work was characterized by its originality and focus on practical applications. Despite facing opposition from the scientific establishment for much of his life, he fundamentally changed the fields of telecommunications, mathematics, and science.
Legacy
Heaviside’s work had a lasting impact on telecommunications and electrical engineering. The ionosphere, which he theorized, was proven to exist by Edward Victor Appleton in 1945 (Appleton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this). Heaviside’s mathematical methods and concepts continue to be essential tools in these fields.