From Maxwell to Einstein: Introducing the time-dilation property of special relativity in undergraduate electromagnetics

This paper demonstrates how one of the consequences of special relativity can be easily introduced in an undergraduate engineering course on electromagnetics. The paper begins with a historical account of how Maxwell's electromagnetic theory eventually led to the theory of special relativity. One of the fundamental consequences of special relativity - namely, the time-dilation property - is then demonstrated using only simple kinematics and the most basic tenets of observational electromagnetics: Gauss's Law, Ampere's Law, and the Lorentz force equation. The worked-out example that is presented herein has been specifically tailored for students of electromagnetic engineering by avoiding the mathematical formalisms typically encountered when discussing the physics of special relativity. The degree of difficulty of the derivation, and the notation that is chosen, are typical of those that would be found in an introductory course on electromagnetic engineering.