Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/paper-2/section-b/b6/d/solution
Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 Section B B6 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The Poynting vector is the electromagnetic energy flux density,In vacuum it equals . For a linear nondispersive medium with time-independent constitutive coefficients, Maxwell's equations and the identity give Poynting's theorem,The source term is work done by the fields on free charges; for an Ohmic conductor it is the positive local Joule heating rate . Integrating over a volume states that loss of stored field energy plus outward energy flow equals energy transferred to matter. In dispersive media, such as a plasma, material motion contributes to stored energy and the simple nondispersive expression cannot be used indiscriminately.
For a vacuum plane wave, and , and the propagation direction form a right-handed triad. With real peak field , the time-averaged wave intensity isMore generally, complex peak amplitudes give . Along a transmission line, the cross-section integral of the longitudinal Poynting vector is the transmitted electrical power . Energy flows through the electromagnetic fields in the surrounding dielectric, even though the conductors guide the currents.
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