DISPLACEMENT CURRENT Meaning and
Definition
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Displacement current is a concept in physics that was introduced by James Clerk Maxwell in his formulation of electromagnetism. It is a term used to describe a time-varying electric field that exists in the region of space where an electric current is changing with time.
Displacement current arises from the variation of electric flux through a surface over time. It is not associated with the motion of charges, unlike the conduction current, which is the movement of electric charges through a conductor. Instead, displacement current is based on the idea that a changing electric field can induce a magnetic field.
The displacement current plays a crucial role in Maxwell's equations, which are fundamental laws in electromagnetism. Specifically, it appears in Ampere's law, one of the four Maxwell's equations, modifying it to include the contribution of the changing electric field. This modification addressed a discrepancy in Ampere's law that arose when considering time-varying electric fields.
Mathematically, displacement current is represented by the term ε₀(dE/dt), where ε₀ is the permittivity of free space and (dE/dt) represents the rate of change of the electric field with respect to time.
Displacement current is important in various applications of electromagnetism, such as the functioning of capacitors, electromagnetic waves, and the behavior of electromagnetic fields in dielectric materials.
Common Misspellings for DISPLACEMENT CURRENT
- sisplacement current
- xisplacement current
- cisplacement current
- fisplacement current
- risplacement current
- eisplacement current
- dusplacement current
- djsplacement current
- dksplacement current
- dosplacement current
- d9splacement current
- d8splacement current
- diaplacement current
- dizplacement current
- dixplacement current
- didplacement current
- dieplacement current
- diwplacement current
- disolacement current
- disllacement current
Etymology of DISPLACEMENT CURRENT
The term "displacement current" was coined by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s during his formulation of electromagnetic theory. The word "displacement" refers to the concept of charge displacement or movement that occurs in a region of space even when there is no actual flow of charge.
At the time, Maxwell was working on his famous set of equations known as Maxwell's equations, which unified electricity and magnetism. In his equations, Maxwell realized that a changing electric field could induce a magnetic field, and similarly, a changing magnetic field could induce an electric field.
To account for this phenomenon, Maxwell introduced a term called "displacement current" to describe the changing electric field and its effect on the magnetic field. It represented the idea that electric charges were being displaced or redistributed within a region, creating an additional contribution to the total current in that area.
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