Which scientist formulated the mathematical laws of electromagnetism now known as Maxwell's equations?

James Clerk Maxwell formulated the mathematical laws of electromagnetism now known as Maxwell's equations.

Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, developed his electromagnetic theory during the 1850s and 1860s. He translated Faraday's experimental discoveries about electric and magnetic fields into mathematical form, showing that changing electric and magnetic fields are closely linked.

His theory predicted electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light. Maxwell therefore argued that light itself is an electromagnetic wave, a conclusion that united optics with electricity and magnetism. His original formulation used a set of equations expressed partly through physical models; later notation condensed them into the familiar four equations.

Maxwell did not experimentally detect radio waves himself. Heinrich Hertz confirmed their existence in the 1880s. Maxwell's work is also distinct from Einstein's later special relativity, which explained how electric and magnetic fields transform between moving observers.