Discovery of the Maxwell equations and their significance

The complete set of equations proposed by Jams Clerk Maxwell to describe the classical electromagnetic fields and their interaction with charged particles had combined electrics, magnetics and optics into a single unified theory of the electromagnetic fields. This theory possesses both Lorentz covariance and U(1) local gauge invariance, and has become a classical prototype for constructing the standard model of particle physics. Its role in the development of physical theories and experiments has been beyong measure.