Oliver Heaviside

Oliver Heaviside, a pioneer of modern electrical theory, was born into a low social class of Victorian England and died in poverty as a recluse. In between, he made advances in mathematics - by introducing the operational calculus; in physics - where he formulated the modern-day expressions of Maxwell's Laws of electromagnetism; and in electrical engineering - through his duplex equations. This biography reveals a man "who often was incapable of conducting himself properly in the most elementary social interactions", yet made extraordinary advances in his field.

“"How was it that a man who had no formal education after the age of sixteen could apply operational calculus to technological problems in a way that other eminent mathematical physicists had not? Why was a charged layer of the ionosphere named after him? The best way to gain an insight into the life and work of this eccentric genius will be to delve into this delightful book."-- International Journal of Electrical Engineering Educators”

How was it that a man who had no formal education after the age of sixteen could apply operational calculus to technological problems in a way that other eminent mathematical physicists had not? Why was a charged layer of the ionosphere named after him? The best way to gain an insight into the life and work of this eccentric genius will be to delve into this delightful book. International Journal of Electrical Engineering Educators A good book by a careful, historically minded engineer... A lively, informative narrative of Heaviside's life and work. Nahin has exhaustively resurveyed archives and contemporary sources and is very much at home in historical discussions of Victorian physics. Isis

Paul J. Nahin is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of Time Machines, An Imaginary Tale and The Science of Radio.

''He was a man who often was incapable of conducting himself properly in the most elementary social interactions. His only continuing contacts with women were limited to his mother, nieces, and housekeepers. He was a man who knew the power of money and desired it, but refused to work for it, preferring to live off the sweat of his family and long-suffering friends, whom he often insulted even as they paid his bills.''--from the book This, then, was Oliver Heaviside, a pioneer of modern electrical theory. Born into a low social class of Victorian England and dying in poverty as a recluse, Heaviside (in between) made advances in mathematics, by introducing the operational calculus; in physics, where he formulated the modern-day expressions of Maxwell's Laws of electromagnetism; and in electrical engineering, through his duplex equations. This acclaimed biography is the only one devoted to Oliver Heaviside. Now available in paperback with a new preface by the author, it will appeal to historians of technology and science, as well as to scientists and engineers who wish to learn more about this remarkable man.

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