Electricity And Magnetism

Written so as to be understood by the non-technical reader who is curious about the origin of all the electrical and electromagnetic devices that surround him, this history also provides a convenient compendium of information for those familiar with the electrical and magnetic fields. The book moves along at a rapid pace, as it must if it is to cover the enormous proliferation of developments that have occurred during the last hundred years or so.The author has struck a workable balance between the human side of his story, introducing those biographical details that help advance it, and its technical side, explaining theories and "how things work" where this seems appropriate. He also achieves a balance in recounting the discovery of basic scientific principles and their technological applications--the myriad of devices and inventions that utilize energy and information in electromagnetic form.Indeed, one of the important themes of the book is the close and reciprocal relationship between science and technology, between theory and practice. Before approximately 1840, the purely scientific investigations of electrical and magnetic phenomena were largely "ad hoc" and observational, and essentially no technology based on them existed. Afterwards, the scientific explorations became more programmatic and mathematical, and technical applications and inventions began to be produced in great abundance. In return, this technology paid its debt to pure science by providing it with a series of measuring instruments and other research devices that allowed it to advance in parallel.Although this book reviews the early discoveries, from the magnetic lodestone and electrostatic amber of antiquity to Galvani's frog's legs and Franklin's kite-and-key of the 1700s, its major emphasis is on the post-1840 developments, as the following chapter titles will confirm: Early Discoveries--Electrical Machines and Experiments with Static Electricity--Voltaic Electricity, Electrochemistry, Electromagnetism, Galvanometers, Ampere, Biot and Savart, Ohm--Faraday and Henry--Direct Current Dynamos and Motors--Improvements in Batteries, Electrostatic Machines, and Other Older Devices--Electrical Instruments, Laws, and Definitions of Units--The Electric Telegraph--The Atlantic Cable--The Telephone--Electric Lighting--Alternating Currents--Electric Traction--Electromagnetic Waves, Radio, Facsimile, and Television--Microwaves, Radar, Radio Relay, Coaxial Cable, Computers--Plasmas, Masers, Lasers, Fuel Cells, Piezoelectric Crystals, Transistors--X-Rays, Radioactivity, Photoelectric Effect, Structure of the Atom, Spectra.

Electrical and magnetic forces are so much a part of our everyday lives, that we don’t often think about how they work or how they are related. Before digital music players and eBook readers were commonplace, though, scientists put a lot of effort into discovering just what these forces were and how to harness their energy in ways that would make life easier. Through their experimentation, they discovered the connection between electrical and magnetic forces. They found ways to bring electricity to people who wanted it. Today, we benefit from these discoveries, but there are always new things to discover! Whether you try the experiments and activities in this book for fun or for a science fair project, you’ll get an up-close look at the forces of electricity and magnetism. Enjoy each of the shocking activities in this book as you discover the pull of science!

This book is a very comprehensive textbook covering in great depth all the electricity and magnetism. The 2nd edition includes new and revised figures and exercises in many of the chapters, and the number of problems and exercises for the student is increased. In the 1st edition, emphasis much was made of superconductivity, and this methodology will be continued in the new edition by strengthening of the E-B analogy. Many of the new exercises and problems are associated with the E-B analogy, which enables those teaching from the book to select suitable teaching methods depending on the student’s ability and courses taken, whether physics, astrophysics, or engineering. Changes in the chapters include a detailed discussion of the equivector-potential surface and its correspondence between electricity and magnetism. The shortcomings of using the magnetic scalar potential are also explained. The zero resistivity in a magnetic material showing perfect diamagnetism can be easily proved. This textbook is an ideal text for students, who are competent in calculus and are taking physics, astrophysics, or engineering at degree level. It is also useful as a reference book for the professional scientist.

A very comprehensive introduction to electricity, magnetism and optics ranging from the interesting and useful history of the science, to connections with current real-world phenomena in science, engineering and biology, to common sense advice and insight on the intuitive understanding of electrical and magnetic phenomena. This is a fun book to read, heavy on relevance, with practical examples, such as sections on motors and generators, as well as `take-home experiments' to bring home the key concepts. Slightly more advanced than standard freshman texts for calculus-based engineering physics courses with the mathematics worked out clearly and concisely. Helpful diagrams accompany the discussion. The emphasis is on intuitive physics, graphical visualization, and mathematical implementation. Electricity, Magnetism, and Light is an engaging introductory treatment of electromagnetism and optics for second semester physics and engineering majors. Focuses on conceptual understanding, with an emphasis on relevance and historical development. Mathematics is specific and avoids unnecessary technical development. Emphasis on physical concepts, analyzing the electromagnetic aspects of many everyday phenomena, and guiding readers carefully through mathematical derivations. Provides a wealth of interesting information, from the history of the science of electricity and magnetism, to connections with real world phenomena in science, engineering, and biology, to common sense advice and insight on the intuitive understanding of electrical and magnetic phenomena

This is an undergraduate textbook on the physics of electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic fields and waves. It is written mainly with the physics student in mind, although it will also be of use to students of electrical and electronic engineering. The approach is concise but clear, and the authors have assumed that the reader will be familiar with the basic phenomena. The theory, however, is set out in a completely self-contained and coherent way and developed to the point where the reader can appreciate the beauty and coherence of the Maxwell equations. Throughout, the authors stress the relationships between microscopic structure of matter and the observed macroscopic electric and magnetic fields. The applications cover a wide range of topics, and each chapter ends with a set of problems with answers.

Covering the development of field computation in the past forty years, this book is a concise, comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to methods for the analysis and synthesis of electric and magnetic fields. A broad view of the subject of field models in electricity and magnetism, ranging from basic theory to numerical applications, is offered. The approach throughout is to solve field problems directly from partial differential equations in terms of vector quantities.

"Reissued (with corrections) as an Oxford classic text in 2013"--Verso title page.