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Re: [Phys-L] E, D, & P names {was Names from Alex Burr et al.}



If we take the usual tact of describing the full response of any loss-free
material (including perfect vacuum) to an externally impressed electric
field to be "composed" of three parts which are most commonly represented by
the vectors E, D, & P, then I am so old fashioned that I (and any student I
have had) will always call these three vectors:

1) E-field ..... Electric Field

2) D-field ..... Displacement Field

3) P-field ..... Polarization Field



I don't do this just because it was the first set of names I was taught for
these three distinctly separate and recognizable contributions to the full
electric response of any material (including "God's Vacuum"***). Rather, I
use these names because they seem uniquely descriptive of the "contribution"
that each field makes to the total response of any loss-free material to an
external electric field.



It may be a simple minded approach which requires the assumption of
linearity and it may ignore all higher order effects but us simple minded
people have to start somewhere on a path to understanding.



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-----Original Message-----

From: phys-l-bounces@phydocmarko.homelinux.org
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@phydocmarko.homelinux.org] On Behalf Of Aburr@aol.com

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 15:50

To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org

Subject: [Phys-L] Names



In the subject of elementary electrostatics, what names do you give to E
and D



Alex. F. Burr

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