Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Electrodynamics: Coulomb Force and Ampere Law

In course

PHYS-324: Classical electrodynamics

The goal of this course is the study of the physical and conceptual consequences of Maxwell equations. ...

Description

This lecture covers the Coulomb force and Ampere law in classical electrodynamics, including topics such as Gauss theorem, divergence theorem, Maxwell equations, electrostatic potential, image charge method, and Ampere's force law.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Victor Gorbenko

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Electrostatics

Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies slow-moving or stationary electric charges. Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amber, ἤλεκτρον (), was thus the source of the word 'electricity'. Electrostatic phenomena arise from the forces that electric charges exert on each other. Such forces are described by Coulomb's law.

Coulomb's law

Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is an experimental law of physics that calculates the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest. This electric force is conventionally called electrostatic force or Coulomb force. Although the law was known earlier, it was first published in 1785 by French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, hence the name. Coulomb's law was essential to the development of the theory of electromagnetism and maybe even its starting point, as it allowed meaningful discussions of the amount of electric charge in a particle.

Magnetostatics

Magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields in systems where the currents are steady (not changing with time). It is the magnetic analogue of electrostatics, where the charges are stationary. The magnetization need not be static; the equations of magnetostatics can be used to predict fast magnetic switching events that occur on time scales of nanoseconds or less. Magnetostatics is even a good approximation when the currents are not static – as long as the currents do not alternate rapidly.

Electrostatic discharge

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short or dielectric breakdown. A buildup of static electricity can be caused by tribocharging or by electrostatic induction. The ESD occurs when differently-charged objects are brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down, often creating a visible spark.

Divergence theorem

In vector calculus, the divergence theorem, also known as Gauss's theorem or Ostrogradsky's theorem, is a theorem which relates the flux of a vector field through a closed surface to the divergence of the field in the volume enclosed. More precisely, the divergence theorem states that the surface integral of a vector field over a closed surface, which is called the "flux" through the surface, is equal to the volume integral of the divergence over the region inside the surface.

Related lectures (36)

Paradoxes with Coulomb's and Ampère's forces. Gauss's Law

Delves into paradoxes with Coulomb's and Ampère's forces, leading to the derivation of Gauss's Law from Maxwell's equations.

Second Maxwell's equation: Magnetic dipole

Covers Maxwell's equations, magnetic dipoles, vector potential, torque, and field patterns.

Electrostatics: Basics and Applications

Introduces the basics of electrostatics, covering Coulomb's law, electric fields, capacitance, dielectrics, and more.

Maxwell's Equations: Faraday and Ampère Laws

Covers Maxwell's equations in vacuum, focusing on Faraday's and Ampère's laws and the absence of sources.

Electrostatics: Basis and Applications