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The continuity equation for charge states that

  • A.\( \nabla \cdot \mathbf{J} = 0 \) under all circumstances
  • B.\( \nabla \times \mathbf{J} = -\partial\rho_v/\partial t \)
  • C.\( \nabla \cdot \mathbf{J} = \rho_v \)
  • D.\( \nabla \cdot \mathbf{J} = -\partial\rho_v/\partial t \)

Answer: D

Correct answer: \( \nabla \cdot \mathbf{J} = -\partial\rho_v/\partial t \)

The equation says that current diverging from a point must be draining charge stored there: charge is conserved and cannot appear or vanish. The first option holds only in the steady state, and it was precisely its failure in a charging capacitor that led Maxwell to add the displacement current term to Ampere’s law.

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