J.C. Maxwell was a Scottish theoretical physicist. In early 1846, at the age of 14, Maxwell wrote a paper o ovals. In this work he generalized the definition of an ellipse by defining the locus of a point where the sum of m times the times the distance from onw fixed point plus n times the distance from a second fixed point is constant.
One of the Maxwell's most important achievements was his extension and mathematical formulations of Michael Faraday's theories of electricity and magnetic lines of force. In 1857 Maxwell's essay won him Adams prize. The subject was " The motion of Saturn's Rings ". He showed that stability could be achieved only if the rings consisted of numerous small solid particles and explanation now confirmed by Voyager Spaceraft.