Physics 335 - Electromagnetic Theory
Professor Paul Bunson
Fall 2001
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Classroom: Noyce Science
Center 0331
Office: Noyce Science
Center 1131
Phone: (641) 269-3036
Email: bunsonpe@grinnell.edu
Office Hours: MTuThF 2-3
Paul
Bunson Homepage | Physics
Department Homepage
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A print version of the syllabus is available in pdf.
Homework assignments can be found here.
In-class problems can be found here.
To skip to the course schedule, click here.
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Syllabus
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Objectives:
This course will cover the basics of electromagnetism. You were introduced
to this subject in the second half of general physics, where you learned
about entities called electric and magnetic fields, which determine the
forces on electric charges and magnetic dipoles. This semester, you will
cover this material in a more sophisticated manner than in the intro class.
You should now be more mathematically mature i.e. you've been exposed
to enough specialized math such as linear algebra, differential equations,
infinite series, etc. to be able to deal with vector calculus, special
functions and other techniques without completely panicking.
There are many reasons for learning about
electromagnetism. First of all, a significant portion of the phenomena
that we see around us involves electromagnetism in one form or another.
Because of this, you will see these applications in mechanics, optics,
quantum mechanics, and many branches of engineering. Secondly, the mathematical
techniques that you learn in this class are amongst the most common that
you will encounter in your science career. Vector calculus shows up in
quantum mechanics, fluid dynamics, and acoustics to name just a few areas.
This course should therefore also be a big help on the GRE subject test,
not to mention graduate qualifying exams. And for those of you considering
a future in fundamental physics (elementary particles, string theory,
etc.), the electromagnetic force is considered one of four fundamental
interactions. (Nowadays, it is combined with the weak force as one of
the three fundamental forces, but that is another story.)
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Text
Your textbook for this class will be Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd
Edition) by David J. Griffiths. The author has written several excellent
textbooks for upper division physics courses and this one is probably
the most widely used for this course. We will cover most of the topics
in the first seven chapters. These chapters focus mainly on electro- and
magneto-statics where charges and dipoles are not in motion (so much for
the "dynamics" part of the title!). Your waves course next semester will
deal with some topics in electromagnetic waves.
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Homework:
Homework will be due
every Wednesday. I encourage you to pace yourself by attempting the problems
as we get to each section. You are encouraged to discuss the assignments
with others and with your professor, but only AFTER you have tried them
yourself. Your written assignment MUST be in your own words and reflect
your own understanding of the material. Furthermore, your homework should
include all work, diagrams and discussion and not just the final answers.
Solutions will be made available.
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Participation
You will be expected to
participate in class in several ways. First of all, if you have questions
during class, please ask. Secondly, there will be in class problem sessions
where you will work with a small group. Third, you may be called to the
board or asked to volunteer to attempt a problem. While your performance
will not be graded for any of these activities, non-participation will
affect your grade.
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Getting help
There are many resources for getting help in this course. These include
discussing problems with your classmates and other physics majors, consulting
other textbooks (see below), and meeting with me during office hours or
via appointment. You can always drop by my office or e-mail me a question;
however, I cannot guarantee that I will always be around or have the time.
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Exams
There will be two quizzes, three midterms
and a final. The quizzes will count as one midterm. The final will be
cumulative. Exams will be closed book; however, some formulas will be
provided. Calculators will not be necessary.
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Grading
Your grade for the course will be based
on the following points:
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- Homework 15 pts
- Participation 10 pts
- Midterms 60pts (Best 3 out of 4, 20 pts
each)
- Final Exam 25 pts
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For a total of 120pts. Grades will be assigned
on a standard scale:
A=90-100%, B=80-90%, etc.
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Reference Material
If you are looking for additional references, there are many books in
the library and around the department that cover the same material. The
ones listed below are in the library. It is requested that you do not
check these out so that everyone can have access to them.
These are some books that provide more detailed
explanations of most of the mathematics you will be using this semester:
Boas, M., "Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences" (highly recommended
- check out the copy on my shelf to see how incredibly useful this book
has been)
Schey, H. M., "Div, Grad, Curl, and All That: An Informal Text on Vector
Calculus" (the name says it all)
Arfken, G., "Mathematical Methods For Physicists" (similar to your text,
but more general)
The library has many texts that were candidates
for the this semester's text including:
Lorrain, P., Corson, D. R. and Lorrain, F., "Foundations of Electromagnetic
Phenomenon"
Reitz, J., Milford, F., and Christy, R., "Foundations of Electromagnetic
Theory"
Wangsness, R. "Electromagnetic Fields"
And for really advanced or subtle questions:
Jackson, J. D., "Classical Electrodynamics" (for those of you going on
to grad school, you might even consider buying your copy now)
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Date
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Lecture
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| 8/31 |
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9/3
9/5
9/7
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Intro, 1.1.1 - 1.1.5
1.2.1 - 1.2.6
1.2.7 - 1.3.1
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9/10
9/12
9/12 |
1.3.2 - 1.3.4
1.3.5 - 1.4.2
1.5.1 - 1.5.3 |
9/17
9/19
9/21 |
1.6.1 - 1.6.2
2 2.1.1 - 2.1.3
Quiz I (Ch 1) |
9/24
9/26
9/28 |
2.2.1 - 2.2.3
2.2.4 - 2.3.2
2.3.3 - 2.3.5 |
10/1
10/3
10/5 |
2.5.1 - 2.5.4
3.1.1 - 3.1.6
Exam I (Ch 1 & 2)
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10/8
10/10
10/12 |
3.2.1
- 3.2.4
3.3.1
3.3.2 |
10/15
10/17
10/19 |
3.3.2
3.4.1 - 3.4.2
3.4.3 - 3.4.4 |
| 10/22 - 26 |
Fall Break |
10/29
10/31
11/2 |
4.1.1 - 4.1.4
4.2.1 - 4.2.3
4.3.1 - 4.3.3 |
11/5
11/7
11/9 |
4.4.1 - 4.4.2
5.1.1 - 5.1.3
Exam II (Ch 3 & 4) |
11/12
11/14
11/16 |
5.2.1 - 5.2.2
5.3.1 - 5.3.2
5.3.3 - 5.3.4
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11/19
11/21
11/23 |
5.4.1 - 5.4.2
5.4.3
THANKSGIVING |
11/26
11/28
11/30 |
6.1.1 - 6.2.3
6.3.1 - 6.3.3
6.4.1 - 6.4.2 |
12/3
12/5
12/7 |
7.1.1 - 7.1.3
7.2.1 - 7.2.2
Exam III (Ch 5 & 6) |
12/10
12/12
12/14 |
7.2.3
7.3.1 - 7.3.4
Quiz II (Ch 7) |
| 12/17 - 21 |
Final Exams |
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Acknowledgements:
Thanks to V. Wade for help in setting up this website.
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