September 20, 2004
It is demonstrated how the right hand sides of the Lorentz Transformation equations may be written, in a Lorentz invariant manner, as 4--vector scalar products. This implies the existence of invariant length intervals analogous to invariant proper time intervals. This formalism, making essential use of the 4-vector electromagnetic potential concept, provides a short derivation of the Lorentz force law of classical electrodynamics, the conventional definition of the magnetic field, in terms of spatial derivatives of the 4--vector potential and the Faraday-Lenz Law. An important distinction between the physical meanings of the space-time and energy-momentum 4--vectors is pointed out.
Similar papers 1
July 28, 2003
It is demonstrated how the right hand sides of the Lorentz Transformation equations may be written, in a Lorentz invariant manner, as 4--vector scalar products. The formalism is shown to provide a short derivation, in which the 4--vector electromagnetic potential plays a crucial role, of the Lorentz force law of classical electrodynamics, and the conventional definition of the magnetic field in terms spatial derivatives of the 4--vector potential. The time component of the re...
August 10, 2015
In this paper the proofs are given that the electric and magnetic fields are properly defined vectors on the four-dimensional (4D) spacetime (the 4-vectors in the usual notation) and not the usual 3D fields. Furthermore, the proofs are presented that under the mathematically correct Lorentz transformations (LT), e.g., the electric field vector transforms as any other vector transforms, i.e., again to the electric field vector; there is no mixing with the magnetic field vector...
May 4, 2012
It has been recently argued that the Lorentz force is incompatible with Special Relativity and should be amended in the presence of magnetization and polarization in order to avoid a paradox involving a magnet in the presence of an electric field. Here we stress the well-known fact among relativists that such an incompatibility is simply impossible and show that the appearance of such a "paradox" is a mere consequence of not fully considering the relativistic consequences of ...
May 17, 2011
The Faraday-Ampere laws of electro-magnetic induction are formulated in terms of plain and twisted differential forms, taking in due account the body motion in terms of Lie time-derivatives. Covariance of Lie derivatives with respect to arbitrary relative motions, and Galilei invariance of the electro-magnetic fields, imply Galilei invariance of the induction laws, contrary to most claims in literature. A noteworthy outcome of the theory is the conclusion that the so called L...
May 19, 1999
We show that the electromagnetic field tensor and the Lorentz Force are both a natural consequence of the geometric structure of Minkowskian space, being related to infinitesimal boosts and rotations in spacetime. The longstanding issue about the apparent empirical origin of the Lorentz Force is clarified.
January 22, 2021
We demonstrate how to derive Maxwell's equations, including Faraday's law and Maxwell's correction to Amp\`ere's law, by generalizing the description of static electromagnetism to dynamical situations. Thereby, Faraday's law is introduced as a consequence of the relativity principle rather than an experimental fact, in contrast to the historical course and common textbook presentations. As a by-product, this procedure yields explicit expressions for the infinitesimal Lorentz ...
January 20, 2009
By describing the dynamical evolution of a test charged particle in the presence of an electromagnetic field as a succession of infinitesimal Lorentz boosts and rotations it is possible to obtain the Lorentz Force of Electrodynamics. A consequence of this derivation at the classical level is that, given the existence of electric and magnetic fields, the form of the electromagnetic force acting on the particle can be regarded as arising from the geometry of Minkowskian spaceti...
May 23, 2023
In this work, we demonstrate explicitly the unified nature of electric and magnetic fields, from the principles of special relativity and Lorentz transformations of the electromagnetic field tensor. Using an operational approach we construct the tensor and its corresponding transformation law, based on the principle of relativity. Our work helps to elucidate concepts of advanced courses on electromagnetism for primary-level learners and shows an alternative path to derive the...
September 23, 2004
In this paper the Lorentz transformations (LT) and the standard transformations (ST) of the usual Maxwell equations (ME) with the three-dimensional (3D) vectors of the electric and magnetic fields, E and B respectively, are examined using both the geometric algebra and tensor formalisms. Different 4D algebric objects are used to represent the usual observer dependent and the new observer independent electric and magnetic fields. It is found that the ST of the ME differ from t...
September 13, 2022
In this paper a geometric approach to the special relativity (SR) is used that is called the "invariant special relativity" (ISR). In the ISR it is considered that in the four-dimensional (4D) spacetime physical laws are geometric, coordinate-free relationships between the 4D geometric, coordinate-free quantities. It is mathematicaly proved that in the ISR the electric and magnetic fields are properly defined vectors on the 4D spacetime. According to the first proof the dimen...