Unified approach to the electromagnetic field: the role of sources, causality and wave propagation

The question of the sources of electric and magnetic fields and their causes has been discussed extensively in the literature over the last decades. In this article, we approach this problem from the unified treatment of electromagnetic fields emphasizing the role of their sources in accordance with...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Suárez, Álvaro, Martí, Arturo, Zuza, Kristina, Guisasola, Jenaro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Uruguay
Institución:Universidad de la República
Repositorio:COLIBRI
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:colibri.udelar.edu.uy:20.500.12008/42346
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/42346
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Cause-effect
Maxwell’s equations
Physics education research
University education
Jefimenko’s equations
Descripción
Sumario:The question of the sources of electric and magnetic fields and their causes has been discussed extensively in the literature over the last decades. In this article, we approach this problem from the unified treatment of electromagnetic fields emphasizing the role of their sources in accordance with the cause-effect relationships. First, we analyze whether this unified treatment contributes to a better understanding of these phenomena. Then, we discuss the implications for teaching of a correct understanding of electromagnetic field sources and causality in Maxwell's equations. In particular, we present a series of examples at the introductory physics level that allow us to recognize the reasons why considering electric and magnetic fields as disjoint entities can lead to contradictions