# Maxwell's equations

## Which form?

7 vote(s)
30.4%
2. ### Differential

16 vote(s)
69.6%
1. Jun 23, 2011

### romsofia

Which form do you prefer, the integral form or differential form?

EDIT: Forgot to say I prefer the integral form.

Last edited: Jun 23, 2011
2. Jun 23, 2011

### fluidistic

You forgot the tensor form! :D

3. Jun 23, 2011

### Staff: Mentor

Where's the option for "Who's Maxwell and what do these two terms mean"?

4. Jun 23, 2011

### romsofia

I'm unfamiliar with the tensor form o.o! It would probably make little sense to me :P

They're 4 equations, and that ain't in this poll :P.

5. Jun 23, 2011

### WannabeNewton

I would have liked to see the differential forms version of Maxwell's equations, very elegant way of expressing them. But since they aren't up there I would have to go with the differential form because the del operator looks cool =D

6. Jun 23, 2011

### atyy

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 25, 2014
7. Jun 24, 2011

### yungman

You need to use both.

8. Jun 24, 2011

### Staff: Mentor

WTF was that?

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 25, 2014
9. Jun 24, 2011

### Jimmy Snyder

Which one of Maxwell's equations is your favorite? Mine is Faraday's equation.

10. Jun 24, 2011

### Saitama

Like the differential form!! Altough i have just started them. MIT lectures are great!!

11. Jun 24, 2011

### clancy688

Integral... how the hell am I supposed to calculate with the differential form without my head imploding?

Favourite one: Gauss's Law - the easiest concept to grasp imho. :shy:

Last edited: Jun 24, 2011
12. Jun 24, 2011

### dextercioby

What's more beautiful than $dF= 0$ and $\delta F=j$ ?

13. Jun 24, 2011

### I like Serena

I like this one best:
$$\square A^\alpha = \mu_0 J^\alpha$$
That is, all of Maxwell's equations rolled into one simple equation!

14. Jun 24, 2011

### WannabeNewton

Is $\delta F$ the same as $d(\star F)$?

15. Jun 24, 2011

### dextercioby

Essentially, up to a possible minus sign depending on the dimension of spacetime and metric signature , delta = * d * .

16. Jun 24, 2011

### dextercioby

Well, not really, the fundamental gauge symmetry is missing in your equation.

17. Jun 24, 2011

### I like Serena

I'm not familiar with fundamental gauge symmetry yet.
What is it?

Is it part of Maxwell's equations?

18. Jun 24, 2011

### Antiphon

The integral form is easier to visualize because the curls turn into line and surface integrals which naturally illustrate relationships between things like enclosed current and MMF.

Last edited: Jun 24, 2011
19. Jun 24, 2011

### dextercioby

Yes, the reason we use potentials is quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. A quantum theory of the electromagnetic field cannot be built without dealing with the gauge symmetry first.

20. Jun 25, 2011

### cragar

I like how we call them Maxwell's equations even tho it was Faraday and Heaviside that pretty much came up with them.