E & B

[kowalskil@alpha.montclair.edu]

On Jan 3 1997  Jim Green wrote: 

> There is an interesting article in the Jan AJP about E and B (cf p 22ff).
> This article has reminded me of a long harbored question:

> The concepts of magnetism, electricity, fields. and vectors developed
> somewhat independently.  Does the list have an opinion about what would
> have happened if at the outset magnetism and electricity were seen to be
> intimately connected?  Would there have been *independent* E- and B-fields
> which needed Maxwell to bring into harmony?  Or might there have been a
> single X-field?  Or what?  Are *two* fields necessary?  Or are E and B an
> historical fluke? 

I did not see the article but I think that teaching and learning of E & M
would be more difficult if we looked at B as a "relativistic manifestation"
of E. I am guessing what you are referring to.

Ludwik Kowalski     kowalskiL@alpha.montclair.edu