A relativistic approach to teaching electrodynamics: Analysis of conductor interactions and relativistic foundations
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper extends our relativistic framework for teaching electrodynamics in higher educational institutions. Building upon our previous work on deriving Maxwell's equations from first principles - the principle of relativity and Coulomb's law - we examine persistent contradictions in conventional electrodynamics teaching regarding conductors with constant current. We analyze the stationary electric field of current-carrying conductors, resolve contradictions concerning its potentiality, and explain the experimental non-observability of non-potential components through relativistic compensation effects. The paper addresses and resolves inconsistencies in the literature regarding the condition of neutrality for conductors with current, proposing a physically consistent condition: ρ⁰₊ = -ρ⁰₋. Within this framework, we develop a relativistic description of the interaction between conductors with current that satisfies both the principle of relativity and physical adaptation requirements. This approach aligns with the fundamentalization of physics education, providing a theoretically robust alternative to traditional empirical methods of teaching electrodynamics. The proposed methodology creates a conceptually unified framework that better reflects modern physics while addressing existing inconsistencies in pedagogical literature, transforming how electromagnetism is taught in higher educational institutions.
Source: Science education quarterly.
DOI: 10.55056/seq.917
Author: Oleksandr A. Konoval
Institution: Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408224124