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[译者前言]在物理学史中竟有这样的巧合:1642年是伽利略逝世的一年,又是牛顿诞生的一年。伽利略开创的力学体系,由牛顿完成。1879年是麦克斯韦逝世的一年,又是爱因斯坦诞生的一年。爱因斯坦狡义相对论的建立,基于麦克斯韦的电磁场理论(根据光速不变性和真空中麦克斯韦方程),反过来,麦克斯韦的电磁场理论,也只有通过狭义相对论,才能以更完美的形式被人们理解。1932年春,我正在美国哈佛大学物理研究实验馆进行关于《游离氮带光谱微扰》的研究工作,霍耳(Edwin H.Hall,1855～1938)教授有一次跟我们讲了“霍耳效应”。他当时七十七岁,虽然从1921年起已经是荣誉退休教授,但还是继续工作。这次演讲后,他送我一份麦克斯韦传记的抽印本,并慈祥地对我说:“我知道你对物理学史很感兴趣。”我向他握手道谢,并把这本传记珍藏至今。值麦克斯韦逝世一百周年之际,于病中译出,以志纪念。
[Translator’s Preface] In the history of physics there is such a coincidence: 1642 is the year of Galileo’s death, but also New Year’s birth. Galileo created a mechanics system, completed by Newton. 1879 is a year of Maxwell’s death, but also a year Einstein was born. Einstein’s theory of relativity was based on Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetic fields (based on the invariance of light velocity and Maxwell’s equations in vacuum), and Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetic fields, on the other hand, could be understood in a more perfect form only through special relativity. In the spring of 1932, I was working on “Free Naphthalene Spectra Perturbation” at the Harvard University Physics Research Laboratory. One time, Professor Edwin H. Hall (1855-1938) told us that the “Hall effect ”. At the age of 77, he was already an honorary retired professor since 1921 but continued his work. After this speech he sent me a hard copy of Maxwell’s biography and kindly said to me: “I know you are very interested in the history of physics.” I shook hands and thanked him and put this biography collection to date. On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Maxwell, he translated it out for his memory.