The Formation And Social Influences Of Classical Theories On Electromagnetic Field

From the 1870s, free capitalism began the transit to monopoly capitalism, i.e., imperialism, which took on its eventual form between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During this period, the western society, even the whole world underwent a series of profound reforms. These reforms occurred in political, economic, cultural and other social fields. The great changes were pushed by many factors, among which was the undeniable factor of the development and application of scientific technology, the establishment and application of classical theories on electromagnetic field being the most outstanding one.As the most important principles on electromagnetism, classical theories on electromagnetic field feature the contribution to the dawn of the second technological revolution which was marked for the application of electricity. The application of classical theories on electromagnetic field brought into industrial production new metal processing techniques and methods such as electrolysis, electroplating, electric heating, electric welding, electric spark, which increase the efficiency of production. The application of electric energy helped industrial production free from the limitation of regional conditions so that human gained further dominance over the natural power. The development of classical theories on electromagnetic field also expand the domain of scientific research, gave birth to a batch of new disciplines such as radiotelegraphy, computational study, microelectronics, radio astronomy, X-ray study, high-energy physics and quantum mechanics. Under the instruction of classical theories on electromagnetic field, researchers invented plenty of electronic products: telegraphy and telephone that have shortened the distance among people with more convenience in information exchanging; electric bulb that has released people from the binding of darkness with longer time for work and recreation; washing machine and electric iron that have liberated women from domestic trivialities; phonograph, radio and television that have enriched people's recreation and education with greater power to transmit messages; electric fan that has eased people with more comfortable living and working conditions. All in all, the application of classical theories on electromagnetic field modernized human society in all respects.Classical theories on electromagnetic field were brought forth by Maxwell, a great scientist, but the formation of the theories couldn't have been completed by a single person. It was contributed by countless great scientists. They succeeded and failed, leaving experiences and lessons for us to learn. A study on their researching process and guiding thought will benefit our scientific research.