The Mechanical Roots of Hehl & Obuchov’s Principles of Electromagnetism - A Contribution to the Unity of Classical Physics

Abstract

I examine the relationships of Hehl & Obuchov’s principles of electromagnetism to classical mechanics and show that the most important ones can be reduced to point-mechanical principles as established by Newton, Euler, Lagrange and Helmholtz. This means that the Maxwell-Lorentz equations and the Lorentz force are largely determined by, or at least connected with the laws of classical pointmechanics. This is hopefully a significant step towards the unity of classical physics. A mechanical model of electromagnetic phenomena is not sought for.