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-   -   Impossible electric fields examples? (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=655894)

 mishima Nov30-12 11:43 AM

Impossible electric fields examples?

I was trying to think of more impossible electric fields than my book has. I understand it is anything that breaks the rule that the path integral is zero. One example is a circular field. I was trying to picture some more complicated 3d examples.

Are all magnetic fields an impossible electric field? I just mean visually, in appearance.

 HomogenousCow Nov30-12 11:54 AM

Re: Impossible electric fields examples?

You can have any kind of electric field so long as they obey the boundary relations.
"Path integral" (The correct term is line integral, a path integral is something we use in quantum mechanics) being zero around a loop is only true for an electric field generated by stationary charges, in general accelerating charges will generate non conservative electric fields.

 mishima Nov30-12 12:18 PM

Re: Impossible electric fields examples?

Thanks, and yes I was trying to say something like "closed path line integral" I think.

So, I could use a computer simulation that generates magnetic fields and moving charges to "see" some impossible electric fields?

Such as the 3d magnetostatics one here: http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html ?

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