How Maxwell's 1868 experiment determined the speed of light using the Ohm and a static electromagnetic field

Abstract

This brief article addresses a common question that may occur upon first reading Maxwell’s 1868 paper titled "On a method of making a direct comparison of electrostatic with electromagnetic force; with a note on the electromagnetic theory of Light" [1]. The primary question that may cause confusion involves correctly interpreting Maxwell’s experimental data using modern electrical engineering standards, as the measurement systems we use today have changed significantly since the 1800s. Furthermore, this question cannot be properly addressed without including the results of a second, equally important experiment in electrodynamics conducted five years earlier in 1863. It is in these data from both experiments that we gain a full understanding of the experimental methods Maxwell employed.