The Lorentz force law

Special Relativity and Electrodynamics (Spring, 2012)

Lecture Playlist

  1. The Lorentz transformation

  2. Adding velocities

  3. Relativistic laws of motion and E = mc^2^

  4. Classical field theory

  5. Particles and fields

  6. The Lorentz force law

  7. The fundamental principles of physical laws

  8. Maxwell's equations

  9. Lagrangian for Maxwell's equations

  10. Connection between classical mechanics and field theory

May 14, 2012

After a review of Einstein & Minkowski notation and an introduction to tensors, Professor Susskind derives the relativistic Lorentz force law from the Lagrangian for a particle in a vector field. At the end of the lecture, he introduces the the four fundamental principles that apply to all of modern physics: stationary action, locality, Lorentz invariance, gauge invariance.

Topics: 
  • Review of Einstein & Minkowski notation
  • Introduction to tensors and tensor notation
  • Derivation of the Lorentz force law
  • The fundamental principles of physical laws
References