Skip to search boxSkip to navigationSkip to main content
Logo Gonzaga University

The Geometry of Equilibrium: James Clerk Maxwell and 21st-Century Structural Mechanics

  • William F. Baker(Editor)
    ,
  • Allan McRobie(Editor)
    ,
  • Joshua Schultz(Contributor)
Research Output:
Book/Report
Book
Research

Abstract

James Clerk Maxwell is one of the giants of scientific thought, and whilst his groundbreaking contributions to electromagnetism and statistical physics are well known, his profound insights into the theory of structures are appreciated less widely. Maxwell's approach was deeply geometrical, and this richly illustrated book reveals his astute perception of the remarkable dualities that exist between the form of a structure and the forces it can carry, with understandings that will surprise contemporary readers. Early chapters introduce the background in which Maxwell was working, followed by contributions by leading researchers describing the latest applications of these ideas. Subsequent chapters introduce the many subtopics that this work embraces. The book ends with Maxwell's original papers on structural mechanics, each annotated to highlight and explain the ideas therein. This is a wonderful resource for mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and designers to enter this rich and underexplored aspect of the genius of Maxwell.

Bibliographic Information

Output type

Research Output:
Book/Report
Book
Research

Original language

American English

Publication milestones

  • Published - 2025

Publication status

Published - 2025

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

ISBN (Print)

978-1009397612