Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-optics-and-electrodynamics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/section-b/6/b/2/solution
Past exam of the optics and electrodynamics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 Section B 6 b 2 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Retain as defined in Case 1. In the laboratory, A moves and B is stationary. Transform A's fields and add B's unchanged electrostatic field:The laboratory linear charge densities are and , with electric currents and .
In , A is stationary while B moves with velocity . Thus A contributes its rest electrostatic field, and B contributes the boosted electric field and the opposite-sign convective magnetic field:The densities in this frame are , , with and . Substituting the laboratory result into part (a) gives the same fields; for instance . The magnetic contribution attributed to A disappears in its own frame, but B's contribution does not.
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