Matter and Motion

This primer on physics, written in 1877 by the most eminent physicist of the 19th century, is intended as a brief introduction to Newtonian mechanics for students and educated lay readers. Einstein described Maxwell’s influence on the scientific understanding of the physical universe as the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton. Maxwell’s ideas also laid the groundwork for Max Planck’s subsequent development of the quantum hypothesis. Complete with many useful illustrations to clarify the concepts discussed in the text, this accessible work is well suited for history of science courses or as a still-relevant introduction to basic physics for the average reader.