2020 - Electricity and Magnetism (Fall 2015)
This class will cover the fundamentals of classical electricity and magnetism. This subject was developed mainly during the nineteenth century, eventually culminating with Einstein's insight that electric and magnetic forces were not actually distinct but could be unified together as a consequence of special relativity. The theory of electromagnetism (combined with quantum mechanics) provides the laws for understanding the structure of atoms and molecules, and therefore provides the foundation for all of chemistry. The electromagnetic force is also the first and best understood of the four fundamental forces of nature.
Course description in pdf.
Syllabus: Topics to be covered include electrostatics and Gauss's law, the electric potential, conductors, currents, magnetostatics, induction, circuits, and electromagnetic waves. In addition, we will introduce concepts from special relativity and vector calculus as needed.
Course text: Electricity and Magnetism by Edward Purcell and David Morin. We will aim to cover (most of) Chapters 1-9.
Grading and tests: There will be weekly homework assignments, two midterm tests, and a final exam. Your final grade will be based as follows: your homework grade counts 30%, each midterm counts 20%, and your final exam counts 30%.
Homework problems are the most essential part of this class. Assignments will be due on Mondays by 4pm. You may turn them in during class or to my office (in person or under my door). No extensions will be given unless there is an emergency or other extreme circumstance. Late homework will be penalized 10% per day late (or fraction thereof).
Expectations: I expect that all homework you turn in will be entirely your own work. You may discuss homework problems with your peers, but you must write your own solutions independently.
Homework assignments (due Mondays 4pm):
problem set #1 - due Sept 21.
problem set #2 - due Sept 28.
problem set #3 - due Oct 5.
problem set #4 - due Oct 19.
Scanned image of Purcell and Morin 2.41, problem #4.
problem set #5 - due Oct 26.
problem set #6 - due Nov 2.
problem set #7 - due Wed. Nov 11.
problem set #8 - due Wed. Nov 25.
problem set #9 - due Mon. Dec 7.
Midterms:
The first midterm will be on Friday Oct. 16th in class. On Wednesday Oct. 14th, we did a practice exam in class and tutorial.
The second midterm will be on Monday, Nov. 16th in Vari Hall C, 12:30-1:30pm.
Here is a list of practice problems and review example problems from tutorial/class.
Final: Friday, Dec. 11.
Office hours: Fridays 2-3pm or by appointment. My office is Petrie room 217.
Course location/date/time: Lectures MWF 12:30, Curtis Lecture Hall K. Tutorial W 2:30, Curtis Lecture Hall K.
Course notes:
Week 1 - Coulomb's law, work and potential energy, line integrals
Tutorial 1 - Curvilinear coordinates, unit vectors, and integrals
Week 2 - Electric field, continuous charge distributions
Tutorial 2 - Electric fields of continuous charge distributions
Week 3 - Electic flux, surface integrals, and Gauss's law
List of important concepts from Chapter 1
Tutorial 3 - Work for continuous charge distributions
Week 4/5 - Electric potential, gradient.
Tutorial 4 - Electric potentials
Tutorial 5 - Midterm 1 practice exam
Week 6 - Multipole expansion, divergence and curl.
Tutorial 5 - More electric potentials
Week 7 - Earnshaw's theorem
Week 7/Tutorial 6 - Conductors and images charges
Week 8 Capacitors and energy
Tutorial 7 - Capacitors
Week 9 - Currents
Tutorial 8 - Midterm 2 review
Tutorial 9 - RC circuits and variable currents
Week 10 - Special relativity
Tutorial 10 - Magnetism due to moving charges
Week 11 - Magnetism
Week 12 - Final exam practice problems
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