[Elecraft] Maxwell's Equations.

[Alexey Kats]

"how do you characterize a system with twenty unknowns in four equations?"

It's called generalization. Compare it with Newton's law for gravity - even
though the size, shape, and movement of objects does play its role the law
is not concerned with them and still adequately describes the effect of
gravity. (Let's not start comparison between Newton's law and general
relativity.)

So, too many unknowns are needed when one wants to calculate the precise
effect of something. But they might not be important when one wants to
express the relationship between effects, so why not to hide them where they
are not needed until the moment comes?

On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 2:37 PM, Kevin Rock <kevinr at coho.net> wrote:

> I have always wondered how he condensed the original twenty equations in
> twenty unknowns down to just four of them.  The quaternions he used
> initially were out a favor with the physics community of the day so he
> needed to get them into vector form.  Heaviside did a good job but how do
> you characterize a system with twenty unknowns in four equations?  What
> has been lost in the translation?
>    Kevin.  KD5ONS
>
-- 
Alexey Kats (neko)