The unification of electric and magnetic forces

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the unification of electric and magnetic forces, exploring historical perspectives, theoretical frameworks, and mathematical formulations related to electromagnetism and its connection to relativity. Participants seek resources and explanations regarding Maxwell's equations and the derivation of magnetic fields from electrostatic principles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about resources on the unification of electric and magnetic forces, specifically looking for documents that explain Maxwell's theory and its calculations.
  • One participant suggests that electric and magnetic fields are interrelated, generating each other, and questions whether the inquiry pertains to their unification as described in relativity.
  • Another participant expresses a desire for clarification on whether the unification discussed relates to special relativity.
  • A participant presents a derivation of the magnetic field from the electrostatic Coulomb field, questioning if the first equation can be derived from special relativity and seeking references for similar reasoning.
  • Some participants recommend searching for historical papers by Faraday, Ampere, and Euler, as well as exploring concepts like "correlation of the forces of nature" and "identity of the imponderables."
  • Concerns are raised regarding the mathematical assertions made by Zafiratos, particularly about the use of Taylor series approximations and the implications of certain terms in the equations presented.
  • One participant mentions that figures like Paul Dirac, Maxwell, and Larmor have developed various mathematical models for the interaction of electric and magnetic fields, with Larmor's work noted as particularly complex.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of the unification of electric and magnetic forces, with multiple competing views and interpretations presented throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of clarity on the definitions of terms used, the dependence on historical context for understanding the unification, and unresolved mathematical steps in the derivations discussed.

ShayanJ
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Hi pals
Could someone introduce me some docs about the unification of electric and magnetic forces?
thanks a lot
 
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Shyan said:
Hi pals
Could someone introduce me some docs about the unification of electric and magnetic forces?
thanks a lot

Not sure exactly what you're asking, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetics" might be a good starting point.

Electric and magnetic fields are closely related, obviously, since each one generates the other. Is that what you're asking about?

Or are you wondering about the fact that they are actually the same force from two different points of view according to relativity?
 
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In fact i wanted sth that explains the maxwell theory and contains his calculations,too.
And i didn't know that relativity contains sth similar.Is it special relativity?
 
Maxwell's equations can be found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_equations" . I'm not sure what you mean by the Maxwell theory, unless that just means classical electromagnetics. The link I posted before discussed electromagnetics in general. It is a broad subject; you could spend years studying it.

Don't worry about relativity, I was just trying to figure out what you were asking.
 
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Xezlec said:
Not sure exactly what you're asking, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetics" might be a good starting point.

Electric and magnetic fields are closely related, obviously, since each one generates the other. Is that what you're asking about?

Or are you wondering about the fact that they are actually the same force from two different points of view according to relativity?

I think he meant historically, since electric and magnetic forces were originally thought to be separate forces, which were later unified. When was it discovered that they were the same?
 
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Shyan said:
Hi pals
Could someone introduce me some docs about the unification of electric and magnetic forces?
thanks a lot


"Could someone introduce me some docs about the unification of electric and magnetic forces?"
-- from first entry in this topic

How about the late Chris Zafiratos' derivation of the magnetic field from the electrostatic Coulomb field[tex]:^1[/tex]

[tex]\vec{F}=\frac{k q_{1} q_{2}}{\vec{r^2}}[/tex]

and asserting from experimentation that between two like charges q with equal (parrallel) velocities separated by r that the force is reduced by[tex]:^2[/tex]

[tex]\vec{F}=\frac{k q_{1} q_{2}}{\vec{r^2}}(1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2})[/tex]

then multiplies this out and derives to[tex]:^3[/tex]

[tex]\vec{F} = \frac{k q_1 q_2}{\overset{\rightharpoonup }{r}_{12}^2}-\frac{k q_1<br /> q_2}{\overset{\rightharpoonup }{r}_{12}^2}(\frac{v^2}{c^2})[/tex]

[tex]\vec{F}= \vec{F_{e}} + \vec{F_{M}}[/tex]

Where

[tex]\vec{F_{M}}= -\frac{k q_{1} q_{2}}{\vec{r^2}}( \frac{v^2}{c^2})[/tex]

and

[tex]\vec{F_{e}}= \frac{k q_{1} q_{2}}{\vec{r^2}}[/tex].



Could you explain if the first equation can be derived from specal relativity (ie the (1 -[tex]\beta^2[/tex]) term? or point me to text with similar reasoning and explanations?

[1] Purists might prefer [tex]\frac{k q_1 q_2 \hat{r} }{r^3}(1-\frac{v^2}{c^2})[/tex]
[2] Physics, Chris Zafiratos C1976 John Wiley & Sons pp 710-712 ( first edition)
[3] I would show you the whole derivation and his conclusion for the magnetic force in Guassian and SI units if I had more time.
 
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If you go to Google book search, try looking for the old papers of Faraday and Ampere and Euler, also search "correlation of the forces of nature", "identity of the imponderables".
 
DruidArmy said:
If you go to Google book search, try looking for the old papers of Faraday and Ampere and Euler, also search "correlation of the forces of nature", "identity of the imponderables".

But how do you search for a mathematical equation? Do you use Tex, MathML, ... I anticipate the symantic web when we will search ideas and concepts, not type setting and encodings, etc !

There are two things that bother me with Zafiratos' spectacular but arbitrary assertion. If he were using the Taylor series approximation

[tex](1-x)^n\approx 1-\text{nx}[/tex]

for either

[tex]\frac{1}{c^2-\upsilon ^2}[/tex] or [tex]\frac{1}{\sqrt{c^2-\upsilon ^2}}[/tex]


then

[tex]\frac{1}{c^2-\upsilon ^2}\approx \frac{v^2}{c^2}+1[/tex]

and

[tex]\frac{1}{\sqrt{c^2-\upsilon ^2}}\approx \frac{v^2}{2 c^2}+1[/tex]

Yet Zafiratos uses

[tex]\frac{- v^2}{c^2}+1[/tex]

It is the minus sign that intrigues me.

Plus the fact that when v = c the whole expression goes to F = 0! ( ie at the speed of light the electro static force is zero).

(Maybe this is the wrong forum for this type of question? Does anyone have a suggestion? By the way, "correlation of the forces of nature" is an excellent Internet search string! Thanks! I am just now trying "identity of the imponderables" and the 1843 edition of "New Philosopy of Matter")
 
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Hi,

I think that Paul Dirac, Maxwell, Larmor have developed many mathematical models of the interaction of electric and magnetic fields. Larmor is very mathematical, way beyond anything I can follow easily.

DA
 

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