The Physics
Hypertextbook
Opus in profectus

Maxwell's Equations

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Discussion

qualitative

  1. Gauss's law
    • There are two types of charge, positive and negative, just as there are two types of real numbers, positive and negative.
    • Electric field lines diverge from positive charge and converge on negative charge
  2. No one's law
    • There are no magnetic monopoles.
    • Magnetic field lines neither converge nor diverge (have no beginning or end).
  3. Faraday's law
    • Electric field lines don't curl…
    • except when the magnetic field changes.
  4. Ampère's law
    • Magnetic field lines curl around electric current…
    • and also curl when the electric field changes.

integral notation

∯ E ⋅ dA = 
Q
ε0
Gauss's law
∯ B ⋅ dA = 
0  
 
No one's law
∮E ⋅ ds = 
−  ∂ΦB
∂t
Faraday's law
∮B ⋅ ds = 
μ0ε0  ∂ΦE  + μ0I
∂t
Ampère's law

differential notation

∇ ⋅ E = 
ρ
ε0
Gauss's law
∇ ⋅ B = 
0  
 
No one's law
∇ × E = 
−  ∂B
∂t
Faraday's law
∇ × B = 
μ0ε0  ∂E  + μ0J
∂t
Ampère's law

tensor notation

Gauss's law and Ampere's law together…

∂αFαβ = μ0Jβ

No one's law and Faraday's law together…

∂αFβγ + ∂βFγα + ∂γFαβ = 0

The new symbols are matrices.

4 gradient…

∂α =  ⎛
⎜
⎝
+  1   ∂    −  ∂    −  ∂    −  ∂   ⎞
⎟
⎠
c ∂t , ∂x , ∂y , ∂z  

4 current density (usually just called 4 current)…

Jβ =  ⎛
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎝
cρ ⎞
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎠
Jx
Jy
Jz

Electromagnetic field tensor, contravariant form…

Fαβ =  ⎛
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎝
0 −Ex/c −Ey/c −Ez/c ⎞
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎠
+Ex/c 0 −Bz +By
+Ey/c +Bz 0 −Bx
+Ez/c −By +Bx 0

Electromagnetic field tensor, covariant form…

Fαβ =  ⎛
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎜
⎝
0 +Ex/c +Ey/c +Ez/c ⎞
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎟
⎠
−Ex/c 0 −Bz +By
−Ey/c +Bz 0 −Bx
−Ez/c −By +Bx 0