Maxwell's equations
| ← Previous revision | Revision as of 22:13, 1 May 2026 | ||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
Maxwell's equations are named after the physicist and mathematician [[James Clerk Maxwell]], who, in 1861 and 1862, published an early form of the equations that included the Lorentz force law. The publication of the equations marked the [[Unification (physics)|unification]] of a theory for previously separately described phenomena: magnetism, electricity, light, and associated radiation. The modern form of the equations in their most common formulation is credited to [[Oliver Heaviside]].{{cite journal |title=A derivation of Maxwell's equations using the Heaviside notation |first1=Damian P. |last1=Hampshire |date=29 October 2018 |doi=10.1098/rsta.2017.0447 |volume=376 |issue=2134 |series= |issn=1364-503X |journal= Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences|pmid=30373937 |pmc=6232579 |arxiv=1510.04309 |bibcode=2018RSPTA.37670447H }} |
Maxwell's equations are named after the physicist and mathematician [[James Clerk Maxwell]], who, in 1861 and 1862, published an early form of the equations that included the Lorentz force law. The publication of the equations marked the [[Unification (physics)|unification]] of a theory for previously separately described phenomena: magnetism, electricity, light, and associated radiation. The modern form of the equations in their most common formulation is credited to [[Oliver Heaviside]].{{cite journal |title=A derivation of Maxwell's equations using the Heaviside notation |first1=Damian P. |last1=Hampshire |date=29 October 2018 |doi=10.1098/rsta.2017.0447 |volume=376 |issue=2134 |series= |issn=1364-503X |journal= Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences|pmid=30373937 |pmc=6232579 |arxiv=1510.04309 |bibcode=2018RSPTA.37670447H }} |
||
The general solutions of Maxwell’s equations are given by the [[Panofsky–Phillips equations]] as well as by [[Jefimenko equations|Jefimenko’s equations]]; both allow the electric and magnetic fields to be expressed directly in terms of their physical sources, namely time-dependent charge and current densities. |
|||
Since the mid-20th century, it has been understood that Maxwell's equations do not give an exact description of electromagnetic phenomena, but are instead a [[classical field theory|classical]] limit of the more precise theory of [[quantum electrodynamics]]. |
Since the mid-20th century, it has been understood that Maxwell's equations do not give an exact description of electromagnetic phenomena, but are instead a [[classical field theory|classical]] limit of the more precise theory of [[quantum electrodynamics]]. |
||
