A Unified Electromagnetic Field Framework
Seven Constitutional Laws of the Poynting Vector Lifecycle
in a Closed Electromagnetic PID Loop
"The Law came first, all other things are governed by law.— Kevin Burton, February 2026
Remove matter and you are still left with law.
Matter only helps you view the law by its interactions."
Electricity is the most consequential force harnessed by civilization. It powers every hospital, every home, every data center, every factory on Earth. And yet — the people who design, install, maintain, and teach electrical systems do not share a unified understanding of what electricity is.
The power engineer speaks of reactive power and power factor. The electrician speaks of current and resistance. The physicist speaks of fields and flux. The electronics technician speaks of electrons and holes. The lineworker speaks of load and demand. Each discipline has its own dialect, its own mental model, its own version of the truth — and none of them describe the same physical reality.
The mathematics has always known the truth. Maxwell's Equations (1865) describe electromagnetic propagation through fields. Poynting's Theorem (1884) identifies the energy flux density vector S = E × H as the mechanism of power transfer. Noether's Theorem (1918) establishes that conservation of energy is a consequence of time-translation symmetry.
What has been missing — for over a century — is the reconciliation.
Read the full Preamble →The Poynting Vector Lifecycle — from Creation to Return
Magnetic Reciprocity
The Magnetic Component (H) is never consumed. It must complete its journey. Every forward propagation requires a dedicated Field Return to its source.
Coupled Origin
E and H are born in Unity — perfectly coupled, in phase, locked to the same moment. The Vector maintains full potentiality until harvested.
Division
The Poynting Vector may divide among multiple paths. The magnetic accounting is never forgiven — every branch must reconcile at the Field Return.
The Harvest
The Harvester strips E from the field, converting it to work. H is Widowed — left without its partner — and continues its return journey.
The Sabotage
The Saboteur — a miniature inverse creation engine — forces H into recursive opposition, creating a 90° Temporal Offset. It cannot harvest. It can only create Dis-Unity.
The Repulsion
The Repeller is a field mirror — continuously reflecting the Vector at the dielectric boundary, creating a 270° Recoil Echo. Causality is absolute.
The Bridge
The Field Scaler reshapes the Poynting Vector envelope — redistributing E and H while conserving total flux across the magnetic bridge.
The Coupling Law
Energy is temporal; Magnetism is spatial. Dis-Unity exists because Space can lag behind Time. Echo Cancellation restores Unity: 90° + 270° = 360° = Harvest.
Theory meets practice — live in your browser
Build electromagnetic circuits on a live workbench. Visualize Poynting Vector fields, heat maps, and the complete lifecycle — no animated dots, only the truth.
Launch B.F.S.Input your coil's winding resistance, line voltage, and field amplitude. The B.E.C.M. calculates the exact Repeller value to restore Unity.
Launch B.E.C.M.Kevin Burton is an electrical instructor at Georgian College, a published researcher, and the creator of the Burton-Poynting Theory. His paper "A New Methodology for Power Factor Correction" was published in a major Canadian electrical trade magazine. The Burton-Poynting Theory is the culmination of decades of hands-on electrical experience and a refusal to accept that the instruments tell the whole story.
Full biography →