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Physics LibreTexts

15.7: Maxwell's Fourth Equation

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This is derived from the laws of electromagnetic induction.

Faraday's and Lenz's laws of electromagnetic induction tell us that the E.M.F. induced in a closed circuit is equal to minus the rate of change of B-flux through the circuit. The E.M.F. around a closed circuit is the line integral of \textbf{E} \cdot \textbf{ds} around the circuit, where \textbf{E} is the electric field. The line integral of \textbf{E} around the closed circuit is equal to the surface integral of its curl. The rate of change of B-flux through a circuit is the surface integral of \dot{\textbf{B}}. Therefore

\textbf{curl}\, \textbf{E} = - \dot{ \textbf{B}} \tag{15.7.1} \label{15.7.1}

or, in the nabla notation,

\boldsymbol{\nabla} \times \textbf{E} = - \dot{ \textbf{B}}. \tag{15.7.2} \label{15.7.2}

This is the fourth of Maxwell's equations.


This page titled 15.7: Maxwell's Fourth Equation is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jeremy Tatum via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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