Overview:

The course is intended for undergraduate students in physics, engineering, math, and other fields, who have already had an undergraduate level courses in mechanics and electricity and magnetism.

The topics include electrostatics (electric charges, electric fields, electric potential, etc.), magnetostatics (magnetic fields, magnetic materials), electric currents, and the connections between them as evidenced in Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction.

This is mostly about the theory, there is no laboratory for the course. The theory involves a certain amount of mathematical ability for the best understanding, especially in the areas of vector calculus and differential equations. We do the classical theory here, no quantum mechanics.

For more course information, including style of homework submission, grading, and schedule,
go here: Fall 2023 Physics 532 Syllabus.

Prof. Gary M. Wysin, wysin@phys.ksu.edu.
Office hours: MTW 12:30--1:30 p.m. (tentative) or by appointment.

Copyright 2023 (Gary M. Wysin) as to this website contents, including the syllabus, lecture notes, exams, and problems. See syllabus for further legal statements about the course and its contents.

Textbooks

The textbook for the course is the well-known book,

Introduction to Electrodynamics, Third (2013) or Fourth (2017) Edition, by David J. Griffiths. The writing is very clear and it uses mostly standard notation and SI units. EM Fields I covers only the first 7 chapters of this book. Either the Third or Fourth editions are acceptable.

Lecture Notes

1.     Week 1. Intro & Math: Range of topics; electric field; vector mathematics; differential operators.
2.     Week 2. Electric fields and flux from charges, Gauss' Law, curvy coordinates, 1D delta-functions.
3.     Week 3. 3D delta-functions, electric potential definition, example calculations.
4.     Week 4. Work & energy, conductors, capacitance, boundary conditions & Laplace equation.
5.     Week 5. Solving Laplace's equation: on a grid, method of images, separation of variables.
6.     Week 6. Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates; monopoles & dipoles.
7.     Week 7. Multipole theory and expansions for V(r); Atomic polarizability.
8.     Week 8. Dielectric materials, electric polarization & electrostatic energy in media.
9.     Week 9. Magnetic forces on charges and currents; current density.
10.     Week 10. Biot-Savart & Ampere's Laws for magnetic fields; magnetic vector potential.
11.     Week 11. Magnetic vector potential; magnetic dipoles; Magnetism in matter.
12.     Week 12. Magnetization & bound currents; finding B ; linear & nonlinear media.
13.     Week 13. Ohm's Law; electromotive force, Faraday's Law of induced emf.
14.     Week 14. Induced emf & electric field, inductance, impedance, RLC circuits.
15.     Week 15. Magnetic energy, Maxwell's equations, symmetry, review.

16.     Physics: NIST 2018 Values of fundamental physical constants.

Other Links At KSU

• My home page.
• KSU Physics Department.
• Kansas State University.

access since 2005/08/25.