Derivation of maxwells equation

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  • Thread starter Thread starter quantumfireball
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the lack of emphasis on James Clerk Maxwell's classical paper "On Physical Lines of Force" in undergraduate electromagnetism courses. Participants express concern that students are not encouraged to explore Maxwell's theoretical contributions, which provide a deeper understanding of the derivation of Maxwell's equations. The original paper is available online, with links provided to both a PDF version and a summary of electromagnetic notations. The conversation highlights the importance of engaging with foundational texts to enhance comprehension of electromagnetic theory.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Maxwell's equations and their significance in electromagnetism.
  • Familiarity with classical electromagnetism concepts.
  • Basic knowledge of academic research methods for accessing historical scientific papers.
  • Ability to navigate online resources and academic databases.
NEXT STEPS
  • Read "On Physical Lines of Force" by J.C. Maxwell to gain insights into the theoretical foundations of electromagnetism.
  • Explore the historical context of Maxwell's work and its impact on modern physics.
  • Investigate the evolution of electromagnetic theory post-Maxwell, focusing on the aether concept and its implications.
  • Study the various notations and formulations of electromagnetic equations to enhance understanding of their applications.
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators in electromagnetism, and researchers interested in the historical development of electromagnetic theory will benefit from this discussion.

quantumfireball
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When i did my undergraduate course in electromagnetism i never heard of or never told by
the professors of "the Physical lines of force" the classical paper by J.C Maxwell.
I want to know why is that students are not taught(or encouraged) to go through this classic,why is that maxwell equations are just taught to be emperical when a lot of underlying theoretical work was done by Maxwell,to arrive at the eqns.
No doubt the underlying physics is wrong(aether,displacement of aether etc...)
but it still hopefully should result in an intuitive grasp of the subject.
Im planning to go through the paper thoroughly even after 2 and half years of taking the formal course
 
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Ah, that's a web page, not a pdf ... an attempt to download it as a pdf didn't work so well;)
 
Peeter said:
Ah, that's a web page, not a pdf ... an attempt to download it as a pdf didn't work so well;)
It is in fact a PDF file, but wiki redirects you to a web page. You need to click on the link on that page to download the PDF.
 

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