Displacement current in Maxwell equations

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on proving that the displacement current in Maxwell's equations can be neglected when the characteristic time τ of changing electromagnetic fields satisfies τ >> L/c, where L is the system's characteristic size and c is the speed of light. Participants suggest using approximations for time and spatial derivatives, specifically dy/dτ ≈ y/τ, to simplify the equations. The current density J is defined as the displacement current, and the differentiation of D with respect to time is discussed. The challenge lies in understanding how to incorporate the light speed into the proof and demonstrating the negligible nature of the displacement current under the given conditions. The conversation emphasizes the mathematical approach to manipulating Maxwell's equations to achieve the desired result.
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Does anyone know how to solve or at least how to begin solving the following problem?:

Prove that displacement current in the Maxwell equations can be neglected if characteristic time τ of changing electromagnetic field in the system satisfies to the following condition: τ >> L/c where L is the characteristic size of this system and c is light speed. (Hint: time derivative of some variable y can be approximated as ratio of its characteristic value to characteristic time, dy/dτ ≈ y/τ the similar approximation can be also used for spatial derivatives).
 
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Can you write down the relevant Maxwell equation, then change all derivatives in length and time to simple division by their charactersitic values?
 
I believe I can use the following relation:
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Defining the current density of J as the displacement current, by differentiating D with respect to time
ab93b5aac5ffa87badaa48f32c50715a.png



(dD/dt)We get:
8df256232f07aa711d287438280647be.png



With B and E being defined as:
57619c6a86c79e56ac806faf21502c90.png

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So instead of differentiating to time I can now simply divide by time? However, I don't quite see where light speed comes in and how I could prove the displacement current actually being neglectable.
 
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