I really liked this one, and the follow-on videos show a lot of promise. The maker starts with the four equations that we see on T shirts. He admits that at the time he first saw them, he did not understand. But in this video, he digs in, and finally gets it. The connection between Maxwell's equations and C (the speed of light) are especially well presented.
There is a document that goes quite a bit further, and explores the connections between Maxwell's equations and quantum mechanics. It is by that wonderful physicist Freeman Dyson. It is entitled "Why is Maxwell's theory so hard to understand?" Check it out:
https://davidtong.org/pdfs/teaching/electromagnetism/dyson.pdf
Sorry, but I had enough of Maxwell's equations
ReplyDeleteduring the two semesters of Electromagnetic
Field Theory that I took my senior year of college.
I scored a D for each and almost did not graduate,
so this video would be too traumatic for me to watch!
--Walter KA4KXX
You can do it Walter! The video may help you overcome the trauma. 73 Bill N2CQR
ReplyDeleteMaxwell never got to see his four equations in the form we know. His work resulted in 20 scalar equations , that Heaviside and Gibbs later reduced to 4 equations in vector notation, the ones we have on shirts, mugs, etc. Maybe some might find the scalar equations easier ? The video does a great job of presenting Maxwell's (4) Equations in a clear, concise form.
ReplyDeleteLooking at my college text, it does start with the fundamental Ampere/Coulomb/Gauss/Faraday, adds Maxwell's displacement current and then goes to the 4 equations from Heaviside/Gibbs.
Nowadays, we don't it give a second thought. Just plug and chug the numbers into our antenna programs!
Yes, understanding it is key. I liked how he took the constants and noticed that the velocity of light popped out. That lead to Einstein and the Special Theory. 73 Bill N2CQR
ReplyDeletePhysics Exam: Stevens Tech. Professor walks in. "Your exam today is simple: define in words and optionally with the equations the path Einstein used to derive Special Theory from Maxwell's (4) Laws. You have 30 minutes. Good Luck". He walks out (we had the Honor System). You could feel the sheer terror in the room. 73! WN2A
ReplyDeleteI think that when I was younger I could dervive Ohm's Law from them by setting the delta to zero. Steve K2PBO .... P.S. I still have my Maxwell's T shirt.
ReplyDelete