Why does Faraday's law involve a partial vs an ordinary derivative?

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Faraday's law is expressed as the curl of the electric field equating to the partial derivative of the magnetic field with respect to time, indicating a relationship between changing magnetic fields and induced electric fields. The discussion highlights that the spatial variables (x, y, z) are not functions of time, leading to the conclusion that the total derivative of the magnetic field B simplifies to its partial derivative with respect to time. This raises questions about the applicability of integrating partial derivatives, as the change in flux is crucial, suggesting that B can remain constant while the area changes. The distinction between partial and total derivatives becomes significant in contexts where spatial variables influence the outcome. Understanding these nuances is essential for correctly applying Faraday's law in practical scenarios.
Nick R
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Faraday's law is often stated in SI units as

\nabla x E(x,y,z,t) = \frac{\partial B(x,y,z,t)}{\partial t}

But x, y, z (or some other set of coordinates) are variables not functions and thus have no "t dependence".

So it would seem that the "total derivative" of B is the same as the partial:

\frac{dB}{dt}=\frac{\partial B}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial B}{\partial x}\frac{\partial x}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial B}{\partial y}\frac{\partial y}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial B}{\partial z}\frac{\partial z}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial B}{\partial t} + 0 + 0 + 0

It seems that there isn't any difference between the partial of B wrt to t and the "full derivative" of B wrt t.

The reason I'm concerned is the issue where you CANNOT do the following (or maybe sometimes... like in this case you can?):

\int^a_b\frac{\partial f(x,y)}{\partial x}dx = f(b,y) - f(a,y)
 
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It's the change in flux that matters so B can be constant and area change.
 
It may be shown from the equations of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860’s, that the speed of light in the vacuum of free space is related to electric permittivity (ϵ) and magnetic permeability (μ) by the equation: c=1/√( μ ϵ ) . This value is a constant for the vacuum of free space and is independent of the motion of the observer. It was this fact, in part, that led Albert Einstein to Special Relativity.
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