Physics 406

Link to course schedule

Images at left, right, and below are from a project published as:

"New Method for Fabricating Ultra-Narrow Metallic Wires,"

E. Olson, G. C. Spalding, A. M. Goldman, M. Rooks,

Applied Physics Letters 65, 2740 (1994).

This work resulted in

large scale integration of 15-nm wires (onto these templates),

calling in many ways, for a Quantum Mechanical treatment.

Nevertheless, the Classical Electrodynamics covered in Phys406

remains at the very core of modern discourse.

Electricity

and

Magnetism

Electricity

and

Magnetism
Instructor:

Gabe Spalding C006B CNS
Office hours: M 3:00 - 3:50
T 9:00-9:50, 2:00-2:50
Th 9:00-9:50, 2:00-2:50
gspalding@titan.iwu.edu
556-3004
E-mail is always welcome.

Textbook: David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics, 3rd ed (Prentice-Hall) [Visit the link shown here for Errata!!]

Location and Times: , E105 CNS  

Mon. , 2:00 - 2:50

Tues. & Thurs., 1:10 - 2:00

Fri., 2:00 - 2:50

Course Overview:

Electricity and magnetism is a "bread and butter" topic for many scientists and engineers. Much of what they do requires an understanding of the topic. It is necessary to work many problems in order to improve your level of understanding. This course will cover electrostatics, magnetostatics, electrodynamics, and the theory of electromagnetic waves in great detail and with advanced mathematics. We will call upon the mathematical techniques covered in Math Methods and Theoretical Mechanics, and we will probably develop (or scrape the rust off of) a few others. We will in general follow the text, unless we agree to do otherwise, though I will handout supplemental material on non-linear optics and on dielectrics and ferroelectrics.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Helpful Books on Reserve in the Library:

Div, Grad, Curl, and All That, 3rd ed., by H. M. Schey
Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory, 4th ed., by J. R. Reitz, F. J. Milford, and R. W. Christy

These are good references for this class. The first can be helpful with the math involved in the class; you might find it useful to obtain a copy of your own from your favorite bookseller. The other book is one that had previously been considered as a text for the course. Other books that might be useful (both math methods and E&M) can also be found in the stacks of the library.

The solution sets for this class will be posted regularly, in a binder outside my office.

Course Policies:

Problem Sets will be assigned weekly and will be due one week after they are assigned. The homework assignments listed online are somewhat akin to weather predictions. Like a good meteorologist, you can look ahead about a week with some confidence -- but longer term predictions are to be taken with significant skepticism. (That is, the schedule below will be updated regularly.)

Homework assignments will normally be graded out of ten points, with substantial partial credit awarded for correct partial answers. Good attempts will be rewarded.

In addition to the final exam, there will be 3 (three) examinations during the term. Exams must be taken at the stated times, except by prior agreement. Exams will be graded on the same basis as homework, but the scale may not be the same.

Tentative Exam Schedule:

In-term Examinations:

I     Feb. 13, 2006    (Monday)
II    Mar. 10, 2006     (Friday)
III    Apr. 17, 2006    (Monday)

Final Examination: Tuesday, April 25, 10:15 - 12:15

Other Important Dates:

Sunday, March 12 - Friday, March 17 = Annual March Meeting of the American Physical Society (You should try to go to Baltimore!!)

Friday, March 31 = Abstracts due for those wishing to participate in the IWU John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Friday, April 14 - Saturday, April, 15 = IWU John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

You are encouraged to study together in either formal or informal study groups, because other students will have helpful insights that do not occur to you, and vice versa. However, do not think that you understand the material in question unless you can do the work on your own later.

Final course grades will be computed using the following weighting:

Tentative Schedule

Lecture Topic

Reading Assignments
To be read in preparation for lecture.

Mathematical Review

Chapt. 1

Electrostatics: Fields, Potential, Energy

Chapt. 2

Calculating Electrical Potentials

Chapt. 3

Electrostatics in Media // First Handouts on

a) Non-linear Optics

b) Dielectrics & Ferroelectrics

Chapt. 4

Magnetic Fields and Vector Potential

Chapt. 5

Magnetostatics in Matter

Chapt. 6

Electrodynamics

Chapt. 7

Conservation Laws

Chapt. 8

Assignments

Try to work as many of the unassigned problems as you possibly can!

Week

Dates

Tentative Problem Sets
(to be updated as assigned)

Due
Date

1

Jan. 9-13

PS I:  1.2 (read page 8), 1.3, 1.6, 1.7 (ask me for the answer), 1.12, 1.15, 1.18

Jan. 13

2

Jan. 16-20

 PS II: 1.24, 1.26, 1.27, 1.30 (re-read Example 1.8), 1.31, 1.32, 1.33, 1.38

 Jan. 20

3

Jan. 23-27

PS III: 1.48, 1.56, 2.6, 2.7, 2.21, 2.28, 2.32, 2.46

Jan. 27

4

Jan. 30-Feb. 3

PS IV: 2.8 & 2.12 & 2.18, 
2.16 & 2.24, 3.2, 3.8, 3.12

Feb. 3

5

Feb. 6-10

(Feb 13= First Exam)

 PS V:  2.13, 2.22, 2.47, 3.9 [after completing #3.9part(a), use Mathematica to make a ContourPlot], 3.16, 3.19, 3.20 [also make a ContourPlot for 3.20]

 Feb. 10

6

Feb. 13-17

PS VI: [Review #2.22, then do:] 3.23, [Review #2.47, then do:] 3.36 & 3.46 [For Problem # 3.46, it is sufficient to find the electric POTENTIAL (which is what was found in Example 3.8)], 3.29 & 3.38, 4.4, 4.6, 4.12

Feb. 17

7

Feb. 20 - 24

 PS VII:  (time for catching up) 4.1, 4.18, 4.28, 4.33

 Feb. 24

8

Feb. 27-Mar. 3

PS VIII: 5.9, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13

Mar. 2

9

Mar. 6-10

(Mar 10 = Second Exam)

PS IX: 5.15, 5.22, 5.23, 5.39

  Mar. 9

10

Mar. 13-17

PS X: Use posted solutions to get half credit on previous sets

Mar. 27 

11

Mar. 20-24

SPRING BREAK: Catch up, you slackers!! ;-)

 

12

Mar. 27-31

(Mar 31= Abstract Deadline for John Wesley Powell Research Conference)

PS XI:  6.10, 6.15, 6.16, 6.21

Apr. 3

13

Apr. 3-7

PS XII:  7.14, 7.22, 7.36, 7.42

Apr. 10

14

Apr. 10-14

(Apr 17= Third Exam)

 PS XIII: 8.2, 8.4, 8.5

  Apr. 17

15

Apr. 17-21

(Apr 14-15=John Wesley Powell Research Conference)

PS XIV: 3.43, 3.44

by EOS

16

Apr. 17-21

 

 

FINAL EXAMINATION: TUESDAY, April 25, 10:15 - 12:15
 
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Maxwell's Equations: