Changes

Maxwell's equations serve many purposes and take many forms. On the one hand, they are used in the solution of actual real-world problems of electromagnetic fields and radiation. On the other hand, they are the subject of admiration for their elegance. There are many T-shirts, typically obtainable on college campuses, sporting various forms of these equations.

Maxwell's equations serve many purposes and take many forms. On the one hand, they are used in the solution of actual real-world problems of electromagnetic fields and radiation. On the other hand, they are the subject of admiration for their elegance. There are many T-shirts, typically obtainable on college campuses, sporting various forms of these equations.

What follows is a survey of the various forms that these equations take, beginning with the most utilitarian and progressing to the most elegant. Which form you prefer depends on your scientific outlook, and perhaps your taste in T-shirts.  The various "<math>\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}</math>" and "<math>\nabla \times \mathbf{E}</math>" symbols appearing in some of the equations are the [[divergence]] and [[curl]] operators, respectively.

What follows is a survey of the various forms that these equations take, beginning with the most utilitarian and progressing to the most elegant. Which form you prefer depends on your scientific outlook, and perhaps your taste in T-shirts.  The various <math>\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E}</math> and <math>\nabla \times \mathbf{E}</math> symbols appearing in some of the equations are the [[divergence]] and [[curl]] operators, respectively.

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