Abstract
The apparent mathematical complexity of Maxwell's equations may seem to obfuscate the beauty of the physical phenomena that they describe. Yet the defining fundamental property of electromagnetics, radiation, can be illustrated visually and qualitatively independent of its mathematical foundation. The purpose of this chapter is to present a way to do this called the Electric-Field kink model. The E-field kink model relies on two basic properties of electromagnetics: (1) electromagnetic fields propagate at a finite speed, denoted by the symbol "c," the speed of light, that is 3 × 108 m/sec in free space; and (2) electric field lines of force originate by convention from positive electric charge and terminate on negative electric charge.These two facts make possible the development of graphical depictions of the fields radiated by charges whose speed and/or direction of motion change in time, i.e., when they are accelerated. This phenomenon is described in more detail below and illustrated graphically for a variety of charge motions. The goal is to provide a way to visualize how radiation is produced and so to gain an intuitive understanding of the physical process conveyed by Maxwell's equation. Also demonstrated is how the field lines close as they radiate away from a wire antenna in the frequency and time domains.
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