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Physics 4321

Fall 2009 - section 27550



Introduction to Classical Electrodynamics



Text - Introduction to Electrodynamics 3$rd$ Edition; - David Griffiths
Publisher - Prentice Hall


Supplementary Material - Feynman Lectures on Physics - R. Feyman (Addison-Wesley, 1965 - use library editions); Electrodynamics (Chicago Lectures in Physics) - T. Tsang; Student's Guide to maxwell's Equations - D. Fleish; Div, Grad, Curl, and all That - H. M. Schey; Numerical Methods for Physics - A. Garcia



Ed Hungerford Fall 2009
Office: S&R 1, Room 408 email hunger@uh.edu
1:00 - 2:30 MW http://homer.phys.uh.edu
S&R 1, Room 121
Week Beginning Lecture Homework Due Date
Aug 23 Ch 1 1.6,1.9,1.13,1,26 Aug 31
Aug 30 Ch 1 1.30,1.37,1.44,1.53 Sept 9
*****Labor Day Sep 7******
Sep 6 Ch 1 1.49,1.53,1.56,1.62 Sept 14
*****1$^{st}$ Exam Sept 9******
Sep 13 Ch 2 2.7,2.10,2.17,2.22 Sept 21
Sep 20 Ch 2 2.33,2.38,2.46,2.47 Sept 28
Sep 27 Ch 2,3 2.20,2.34,3.1,3.4 Oct 5
Oct 4 Ch 3 3.7,3.9,3.14,3.19 Oct 12
Oct 11 Ch 3 3.23,3.28,3.33,3.36 Oct 19
*****1$^{st}$ Exam Oct 12******
Oct 18 Ch 4 4.2,4.4,4.11,4.13 Oct 26
Oct 25 Ch 4 4.17,4.21,4.26,4.36 Nov 2
Nov 1 Ch 5 5.1,5.4,5.9,5.13 Nov 9
*****2$^{nd}$ Exam Nov 4******
Nov 8 Ch 5 5.16,5.20,5.22,5.29 Nov 16
Nov 15 ch 6 6.2,6.5,6.7,6.9 Nov 23
*****Thanksgiving Holiday Nov 25-28******
Nov 22 Ch 6 6.13,6.15,6.17,6.25 Nov 30
Nov 29 Ch    
Last Date to Drop w/o grade -- Sept 8
Last Date to Drop -- Nov 4
last Day of Class -- Dec 5
Final Exam -- Tuesday Dec 14 - 2-5pm

The course will cover the topics of;

  1. Vector Calculus
    1. Vector Operations
    2. Invarients
    3. Gradient, Divergence, Curl
    4. General Coordinate Systems
    5. Differential Forms
    6. Integral Relations
    7. The Delta Function
    8. Fields
  2. The Electric Field
    1. Coulomb's law
    2. Continuous Charge Distributions
    3. Differential Operations
    4. The Electric Potential
    5. Poisson's Equation
  3. Energy
    1. Potential Energy
    2. Point and Distributed Charge
  4. Fields and Conductors
    1. Static Charge and Conductors
    2. Induced Charge
    3. Forces on Conductors
    4. Capacitance
  5. Solution of Laplace's Equation
    1. The Boundry Value Problem
    2. Uniqueness Theorem
    3. Separation of variables
    4. Eigenfunctions and Fourier Series
    5. Legendre Polynomials
    6. Energy
    7. Images
    8. Multipole Expansions
  6. The Electric Field in Matter
    1. Polarization and Dipoles
    2. Bound Charge
    3. Dielectrics
    4. Electric Displacement
    5. Susceptibility
    6. Energy and Force
  7. Magnetic Field
    1. Force
    2. Currents
    3. Motion in a Magnetic Field
    4. Biot-Savart Law
    5. Differential Operators
    6. Electrostatic and Magnetostatic Equations
    7. The Vector Potential
    8. Multipole Expansions
  8. The Magnetic Field in Matter
    1. Torques and Forces
    2. Magnetization
    3. Bound Currents
    4. Magnetic Field in Matter
    5. Susceptibility
    6. Ferromagnetism

Your grade will be determined by:
3 in class exams 18% each  
Homework 20%  
Final Exam 26  


It is expected that the student has some knowledge of electromagnetism as taught in 2312 and mathematics through the level of partial differential equations. While these subjects will be reviewed, it will be impossible to cover these subjects in depth and they are needed as a foundation for the course.

The suggested references can be used to supplement the book where needed. The book itself has many references and is widely used as a text in the better universities. It is probably the best text now available on this subject at the undergraduate level.

Do the homework and turn it in on the date assigned in class. Late homework is not accepted. Homework solutions will be posted on the class website. There will be 3 in-class exams and a 3hr final. Grades are determined as outlined above.

All your submitted class work must be completed independently by you, although you may discuss the problems with others.




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2009-08-12