Chirgwin, B H

Kilmister, C W

Plumpton, C

English

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BOOK REVIEWElementary Electromagnetic Theory, Volume 1B. H. Ohirgwin, C. Plumpton and C. W. Kilmister, Porgamon Press Ltd., Pp. 196, £ 2.25 for hard cover and £ 1.75 for floxicovor.Volume 1 of the above book bears the caption Steady Electric Fields and Currents and discusses the chiments of olectiomagnctic and potential theories meant for an undergraduate course in Phy.sics. The macroscopic concept has been used for th(' building u]) of the theory. Microscopic systems having dis- (lontimiouH proiu*rties caiL be considered by a .suitable modification of the above tlu'ory. In tlu^  beginning the author has chosen to discuss a few experiments including those of Hertz, Champion and others to bring home to the readers the inadequacy of the- ordinary Newtonian space time^  concepts. The intcr- chaiigt'ability of ihc! object and source in a field is assumed in ordtu’ to remove the objection of the object reacting on the source placed in a field. The field not'd not be imbued with the proiierty of elasticity us the mechanical model has limited usefulness.The scheme of development in the book consists in describing fii’St the 1‘lectrostatic fit*ld in Avhich the charges are in equilibrium. The restriction of statitinai’y chargt'S are then removed to (mablc the study of the situation where the charges are in steady motion constituting the flow of steady currents in closed circuits. Under this scherm  ^ the steady state fields arc considered in some details and the topics of electrostatics consisting of dielectrics, energy theorems, uniquono.ss theorems etc., have boon dealt with in a straightforward manner in chapters 2 to 4. The book ends with a chapter on the steady flow of electric currents and their distribution in conductors. Although it can hardly aspire to replace the existing standard text books in the subject, it, however, eminently succeeds in considering steady fields and steady flow of electric currents under the same scheme by the development of suitable generalizations and is likely to provide a sense of unity and purpose in apparently unrelated concepts.A, N. B.256

Elementary Electromagnetic Theory- Volume 1

http://arxiv.iacs.res.in:8080/jspui/bitstream/10821/2982/1/Book%20review_4.pdf

Elementary Electromagnetic Theory- Volume 1

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