Simulation and visualization of fields and energy flows in electric circuits with idealized geometries

Abstract

This thesis develops a method to simulate and visualize the fields and energy flows in electric circuits, using a simplified physical model based on an idealized geometry. The physical models combine and extend previously proposed models, to produce a rich array of interactive configurations of circuits. For example, both driven and undriven series RLC circuits can be simulated. The computation underlying the simulations is primarily the numerical solution of several first order differential equations and of a boundary value problem. The proposed visualization of these numerical results provide an appealing and physically meaningful representation of the fields and electromagnetic energy flows in these circuits.