The electric theories of J. Clerk Maxwell. A historical and critical study. Translated from the French by Alan Aversa (Q2348273)

Pierre Duhem's analysis of Maxwell's theory of electrodynamics, originally published in French in 1902, is translated here into English for the first time. Duhem's text is augmented by an index and a short introduction by the translator. The translation of Duhem's text is inept, often misleading, and on occasion, bizarre or nonsensical. The original pagination is indicated by square brackets, while Duhem's mathematical formulas have been renumbered, making reference to the equations of the original French edition impossible. Duhem's mathematical expressions are reliably transcribed, with few exceptions; a formula on p.~22, for instance, is obviously botched. Duhem's turn-of-the-twentieth-century critique of Maxwell's electrical theories is of interest to the physicist, historian, and philosopher of science, and merits a reliable English translation. This translation is far from the mark, unfortunately.