What are Maxwells Equations?
Maxwell’s equations are essential in understanding electromagnetics. With them, you can understand how current flows through materials and what an electromagnetic field is. But, the equations (given at the top of this page) are very complex. Here, I will try to summarize their meaning and give you a feeling for what the equations say and what they are used for. There are four equations: Gauss’s Law: This equation basically states that the total electric flux through any closed surface is proportional to the net charge inside the surface. The electric flux is best thought of as the sum of the components of the electric field perpendicular to the surface. This applies to ANY surface, whether it is in space, part of some circuit, contains an insulator, or crosses the boundary of several different materials. Gauss’s Law in Magnetism: This equation states that the net magnetic flux through a closed surface is zero. In other words, magnetic field lines do not begin or end anywhere and thus m
I understand your difficulty. The problem is that Maxwell’s Equations are not easily understood (in my opinion) from a mathematical point of view. But they are simple and beautiful once you look at them from the physics p.o.v. and see what they mean. The first Maxwell’s Equation is known as Gauss’s Law, and it (roughly) states that the electric field multiplied times the a surface around it is equal to the charge enclosed by the surface, divided by a constant (called the permitivity of free space). Now, this first equation does not actually link electricity with magnetism, it’s just an electric-only equation. The second is law is known as the “no magetic monopoles” law by many, or Gauss’s Law for Magnetism by others. Nor does this one link electricity and magnetism, but rather just says that all magnetic fields need to have both a source and sink. (Unlike electrical fields, that are quite happy having only a source, and no sink.) You could compare electrical fields to a lightbulb, whic
Maxwell’s Equations have to do with four distinct equations that deal with the subject of electromagnetism. Interestingly enough, the originator of these equations was not the person who chose to extract these four equations from a larger body of work and present them as a distinct and authoritative group. First presented by Oliver Heaviside and William Gibbs in 1884, the formal structure of Maxwell’s Equations is based on the work of James Clerk Maxwell during the 1860’s.
