The Equations of Motion in Electrodynamics
- 1 May 1940
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 57 (9) , 797-806
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.57.797
Abstract
A formulation of the equations of motion of singularities in classical electromagnetic theory is obtained. The general method introduced by Einstein, Infeld and Hoffmann leads in a simple way, without any difficulty with "infinities," to the equations of motion obtained before by Dirac. It is shown further that Dirac's introduction of the inertial term into the equations of motion correspond in this method to the assumption of an energy-momentum tensor of matter. The attempt to remove this arbitrary assumption leads in a simple and natural way to the general theory of relativity, in which the equations of motion are obtained from the Einstein-Maxwell field equations.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Classical theory of radiating electronsProceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1938
- Electromagnetic and Gravitational RadiationPhysical Review B, 1938
- The Gravitational Equations and the Problem of MotionAnnals of Mathematics, 1938