James Clerk Maxwell Shadowgram

Heroes of Computational Physics

James Clerk Maxwell was probably the most important physicist since Newton himself, and his research laid the groundwork for the 20th century's revolution of modern physics. Arguably his most important discovery was the set of equations we call "Maxwell's equations," which relate electric and magnetic vector fields. These equations were the first to unify electricity, magnetism, and light as the same phenomenon. He performed research in geometry, gas kinetics, and control theory; he made the first durable color photograph; and gave us the incredibly useful tool of dimensional analysis.

This model is a shadowgram of an etching of James Clerk Maxwell. From the back, it looks completely flat, but the front is raised such that light traveling through the piece generates an image of Maxwell. There is a convenient hole at the top of the plate from which to hang this piece, placed so that it will be perfectly level.