Einstein’s special theory of relativity provides a unique insight into the fundamental properties
of the electromagnetic field. It presents, from a new perspective, the intimate connections among the E,
D, H, B fields and their sources-connections that we have heretofore examined only through
Maxwell’s equations. To appreciate the simplicity and beauty of electrodynamics in the context of special
relativity, one must first learn the language of tensor analysis, which is where this chapter begins. From
there we move to a description of the flat, four-dimensional spacetime of H. Minkowski, and the
transformation rule, named after H. A. Lorentz, that governs coordinate transformations among different
inertial reference frames. We proceed to describe the electromagnetic fields and their sources as seen by
different observers in uniform unaccelerated motion relative to each other, thereby uncovering some of
the most intriguing features of classical electrodynamics.
