Gauss (unit) Gauss (unit) The gauss, abbreviated as G or Gs, is the cgs unit of measurement of magnetic flux density (or "magnetic induction") (B). It is named after German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. One gauss is defined as one maxwell per square centimeter. The cgs system has been superseded by the International System of Units (SI), which uses the tesla (symbol T) as the unit of magnetic flux density. One gauss equals 1 tesla (100 μT), so 1 tesla = 10,000 gauss. As with all units whose names are derived from a person's name, the first letter of its
Maxwell (unit) Maxwell (unit) The maxwell (symbol: Mx) is the CGS (centimetre-gram-second) unit of magnetic flux (). The unit name honours James Clerk Maxwell, who presented a unified theory of electromagnetism. The "maxwell" was recommended as a CGS unit at the International Electrical Congress held in 1900 at Paris. This practical unit was previously called a "line", reflecting Faraday's conception of the magnetic field as curved lines of magnetic force, which he designated as "line of magnetic induction". "Kiloline" (10 line) and "megaline" (10 line) were sometimes used because 1 line was very small relative to the phenomena that it was used