Quantum Physics

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 Summary of Electromagnetic Interactions
We’ve looked at three:
1. Attraction/Repulsion between electric charges is inversely proportional to the square
of distance between them (Coloumb’s Law)
2. Magnetic poles come in pairs that attract and repel each other, similar to electric
charges
3. An electric current in a wire produces a magnetic field circling around it
4. A moving electric field produces a magnetic field, and vice versa.
VERY brief review of Coloumb’s Law
 Enter Maxwell…
We’ve looked at how electrically charged particles interact with
each other, and with magnetic fields.

What can be concluded?

1873, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell

 Enter Maxwell… - Extra Stuff (Not in Exam)
• Electricity and magnetism were once thought
to be separate forces.

• However, in 1873, Maxwell developed a unified

theory of electromagnetism

1873, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell

 Maxwell’s Equations (University Level)

Which one(s) have we looked at?

 Maxwell’s Equations (University Level)

Three (to varying degrees)

 A student’s guide to Maxwell’s Equations
Will upload this onto the website:

https://www.princeton.edu/ssp/joseph-henry-
project/eddy-currents/A-students-guide-to-
maxwells-equations-D.-FleischLEISC.pdf
 Gauss’s Law for Magnetism
• Net magnetic flux through any closed surface = 0

• No monopoles exist

• “Number of lines entering = number leaving”

Maxwell-Faraday Equation
 μ
Ampere’s Circuital Law
 Enter Maxwell… - Extra Stuff (Not in Exam)
• We’ve looked at the Physics behind the unified theory of
electromagnetism

• Let’s build further….

1873, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell

 A charged particle – Gauss’s Law
• Field of a static charged particle:
 A current in a wire (Ampere’s Law)
μ𝒐
• Produces a magnetic field around it:
 A current in a wire (Ampere’s Law)
• Can be a ‘normal current’ or an ‘induced current’
 We’ve looked at one of these
• But: There’s another way to create a magnetic field, besides having a flow of charged
particles
 We’ve looked at one of these
• Let me show you. We need to review some stuff about capacitors
 Capacitor review – A ‘gap’
• What’s a capacitor?
 Capacitor in a circuit
• A circuit with a capacitor…
 Capacitor in a circuit
• Current can’t pass through the ‘gap’
• It’s insulated
 Capacitor in a circuit
• Build up of charge = Electric field
 I’ll Draw What’s Happening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 I’ll Draw What’s Happening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 I’ll Draw What’s Happening
The Electric field changes with respect to time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 I’ll Draw What’s Happening
But there’s no flow of charged particles through the gap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 Displacement Current
• But, it was observed that there’s still a magnetic field,
at the gap!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 Displacement Current
• And it’s the same inside the plates, as outside it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 A New Current?
• So, there’s a special kind of current,
going through the gap!
 A New Current?
• The same number of Amps as the
current outside the gap!
 A New Current?
• But there’s no flow of charged
particles through it
 Displacement Current
• Displacement current – Not an electric current of
moving charges.

• Exists only when electric flux changes over time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 Displacement Current
• Maxwell added this to his Ampere’s Law Equation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAAYxLXUeU
 In Conclusion….
• There’s another way to create a magnetic field, besides
having a current
• By a change in electric flux over time
 Electromagnetic Theory
• This observation further supports electromagnetic theory
 Electromagnetic Theory
• As does Faraday’s Law. Let’s look again at this….
 Current – Group Task
• Why do the electrons move?
 Current – Why do the electrons move?
• Because of an electric field
 Faraday’s Law - Review
• What is Faraday’s Law again?
 Faraday’s Law - Review
• “A changing magnetic
flux induces an emf
within a closed coil of
wire”

• What can we conclude?

 Faraday’s Law - Review
• A voltage difference
creates an electric field

• Therefore…..
 A New Definition
• A changing magnetic flux creates an electric field!
 The General Form of Faraday’s Law
We can write Faraday’s law another way…
 A Big Point!
• The electric field would still exist without any test charges
• The loop doesn’t need to be there
 A Big Point! – Let’s Visualize
• Just like a magnetic field. The charge doesn’t need to be
there, for it to exist!
 A Big Point! – Let’s Visualize
• What can we conclude?
 We’ve Observed the following….
• Changing a magnetic field over time = An electric field
• Changing an electric field over time = A magnetic field

• Therefore just changing one over time, will

inevitably introduce the other….

1873, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell

 Electromagnetic Radiation
“A form of energy that is produced by oscillating electric and magnetic disturbance, or
by the movement of electrically charged particles traveling through a vacuum or
matter.”
 Electromagnetic Radiation
What is this?
 Radiation – Firstly - Group Task - POINTS
What is radiation?
 Radiation - Firstly
Is just means ‘something moving away from the body’
 Important
For now, We’re only interested in waves leaving the body
 Electromagnetic Radiation
Energy travelling through space, in a wave which
consists of electric and magnetic fields varying
simultaneously
 Electromagnetic Radiation
“A form of energy that is produced by oscillating electric and magnetic disturbance, or
by the movement of electrically charged particles traveling through a vacuum or
matter.”
 Electromagnetic Radiation
But we can only see a tiny part of it…
 IMPORTANT – Never forget philosophy!
Science is just a model!
 Step-by-step
We need to confirm some fundamentals, step-by-step….
 Step-by-step - Group Task - POINTS
Do humans emit electromagnetic radiation?
 Step-by-step
• Yep. Everything does (above absolute zero)
 A thinking question - Group Task - POINTS
Why can’t we see humans in the dark?
 A thinking question
1) Humans can only see visible light
2) Humans emit mainly infra-red radiation (12 micron)
 More thinking questions - Group Task - POINTS
What glows?
 The spirit of the law? Or the letter?
• Technically: Everything above absolute zero
• In spirit: Glowy stuff! (in the visible region)