4. Maxwell in Space

Available for over a year

Will Self continues his road trip from Edinburgh to Cambridge on the trail of a Scottish physicist. In 1865 James Clerk Maxwell pioneered the theory of electromagnetic waves which made mobile phones, radio, radar and GPS all possible. In a bid to understand Maxwell and his achievements, Will is driving 600 miles in an electric car. He's accompanied by Akram Khan, Professor of Particle Physics at Brunel University. Will and Akram clash views over the value of scientific progress So they drive to Jodrell Bank Observatory in a bid to understand more about the application of Maxwell's equations. Producer: Laurence Grissell First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.