Hi. My Olympiads physics teacher asked me to derive electromagnetic waves (light) using an infinite series of LC circuits. Can any body help me solve the circuit below for n loops? The idea is to make n tend to infinity.

Question

ivancsc1996 · Answer

I can not make the drawing since I don't have a computer. Basically, for n=1 you have an inductance and capacitance in series without an EMF. Imagine a square that on top has an inductance and on the right has a capacitance. The you attach the exact same square to the right of the first one. You repeat until you have n squares.

anonymous · Answer

Hmm.  I'm not sure what you mean by deriving electromagnetic waves from this.  Are the capacitors initially uncharged? If so, where does the initial EMF come from?

ivancsc1996 · Answer

They don't give me any initial conditions. They just want me to find a general equation. I guess you could think of the capacitor as initially charged

anonymous · Answer

In a simple LC circuit, there is an electric field between the capacitor plates and a magnetic field within the inductor coil.  The system oscillates in time, and the fields within the two components are in phase - if the electric field between the plates goes like $\cos(\omega t)$, then the magnetic field within the solenoid goes like $ \cos(\omega t) $ as well.  This is also true in electromagnetic waves, except obviously the electric and magnetic fields are coupled together in space.

I'm afraid I really do not understand what you've been asked to do - perhaps if you are able to clarify with your instructor I could be of more use.