Flux-cutting and Electromotive Force: How to Motivate Students into Electrodynamics

Authors:A. Sihvola

Source:FERMAT, Volume 6, Communications 8, Nov Dec.,2014


Abstract: — Efforts in teaching electromagnetics culminate often in attempts to cover Maxwell equations. A challenging task indeed, it requires several stages of focus on varying aspects and character of electric and magnetic fields. The divergence laws (electric and magnetic), Coulomb/Gauss relations, which talk about static field effects of sources and the flow of fluxes, can be visualized with some success on blackboard or computer screen with lines, arrows, and colors, although vector fields (especially in three dimensions) do not easily transform into flat images. However, trying to transmit the meaning of the dynamic equations (generalized Ampre’s law and the Faraday law) require a considerably larger amount of efforts. In this presentation, I try to discuss ways of classroom behavior which I personally feel most efficient and rewarding from the viewpoint of an electromagnetics teacher. Some of the methods that I use have also been described in my earlier articles

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Flux-cutting and Electromotive Force: How to Motivate Students into Electrodynamics