Abstract

Displacement current is the term in Maxwell's modified version of Amp?re's Circuital Law that enables the electromagnetic wave equation to be derived. It was originally conceived by Maxwell in connection with displacement of the electric particles in his sea of molecular vortices. It was conceived to exist in deepest space and not necessarily to be confined to the immediate vicinity of an electric current circuit.

Nowadays, displacement current is introduced as being the term that is needed to make Amp?re's Circuital Law consistent with conservation of charge, and it is deemed not to be a real current. Maxwell on the other hand had already added displacement current to Amp?re's Circuital Law prior to considering any such matters.

It will now be shown that the modern approach to displacement current is heavily flawed and that displacement current makes no difference whatsoever to the issue of the applicability of Amp?re's Circuital Law in charge varying situations.