dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaMinimizing postulation in a senior undergraduate course in electromagnetism
| Authors | Nelson P. Andion |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/9810041 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9810041 |
Abstract
An approach to the teaching of electromagnetism to senior undergraduate students, designed for overcoming the fragmentation of the theory is described. As usual it starts from the static case, but it is strictly based on Helmholtz theorem of uniqueness of vector fields, on primary experimental observations upon the sources of electric and magnetic fields, on Lenz's law and on principles of superposition and reciprocity of interactions. Thereafter, without further postulation, all laws and rules arise in a procedure where electricity and magnetism parallel one another. Maxwell's equations are built up on a step-by-step basis, showing that electromagnetic field can be considered but a twofold linear vector field obeying the simplest principles of physical theories. It is shown that every system of units fits this formalism, provided suitable values are assigned to some constants arising therein from superposition principle.
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"abstract": "An approach to the teaching of electromagnetism to senior undergraduate\nstudents, designed for overcoming the fragmentation of the theory is described.\nAs usual it starts from the static case, but it is strictly based on Helmholtz\ntheorem of uniqueness of vector fields, on primary experimental observations\nupon the sources of electric and magnetic fields, on Lenz\u0027s law and on\nprinciples of superposition and reciprocity of interactions. Thereafter,\nwithout further postulation, all laws and rules arise in a procedure where\nelectricity and magnetism parallel one another. Maxwell\u0027s equations are built\nup on a step-by-step basis, showing that electromagnetic field can be\nconsidered but a twofold linear vector field obeying the simplest principles of\nphysical theories. It is shown that every system of units fits this formalism,\nprovided suitable values are assigned to some constants arising therein from\nsuperposition principle.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/9810041",
"authors": [
"Nelson P. Andion"
],
"categories": [
"physics.ed-ph",
"physics.class-ph"
],
"title": "Minimizing postulation in a senior undergraduate course in electromagnetism",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9810041"
},
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