Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-relativity-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/paper-1/2/b/solution
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2014 Paper 1 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Use coordinates , signature , and the convention , . The antisymmetric electromagnetic field tensor combines six field components:It transforms as . Lowering indices changes the time–space signs: , while . The covariant tensor instead uses the inverse coordinate Jacobian on each lower index.
For a frame moving with velocity relative to the original one,Electric and magnetic fields therefore mix under a boost; they are frame-dependent parts of one tensor. For example, a purely transverse electric field acquires a magnetic field in a boosted frame. The electromagnetic field invariants and restrict which fields can be eliminated by a frame change. The covariant force law guarantees consistent particle dynamics in all inertial frames.
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