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Course Prerequisites: Physics 250 University Physics II, Math 220 Linear
Algebra and Differential Equations, and Math 222 Analytic Geometry and Calculus III.
Required text: Introduction
to Electrodynamics, David Griffiths, 3rd edition (available at
Text Rental)
Other materials: You will need a calculator and a table of
integrals. You may purchase a table of integrals from the bookstore. You may
order a larger math handbook like the one I use or you may choose a smaller,
less expensive Pocket
Book of Integrals by CRC press. You may also wish to purchase Div,
Grad, Curl, and All That by H. M. Schey, a
helpful reference on vector calculus.
Course Description: This
course will cover approximately the first 5 chapters of the text, and has the
following objectives:
This is the first semester of a
two-semester course. Electricity and magnetism involves a lot of math with
little real-world application. For instance, you might work 3 hours calculating
the field due to a nonuniformly charged sphere, but
how many nonuniformly charged spheres exist in real
life? Therefore, in order not to get either bored or overwhelmed by this
course, you should change your mindset a little: instead of expecting the
course to increase your understanding of the world around you, expect it to
teach you to use advanced math to solve electrostatic problems. Not only will
these methods be useful to you when you work out future (graduate school)
electricity and magnetism problems, but many of the methods are also used in
other subject areas. The course will definitely sharpen your calculus skills as
well.
Attendance:
Homework assignments are due by the beginning of class on the day I
indicate. Assignments submitted within the next 24 hours will be graded at half
credit and zero credit thereafter. Excuses for late assignments must be
communicated to me before the assignment is due, either by phone, email, or a
message to the department secretary. It is your responsibility to prepare and
submit your assignments on time. Late exams are not allowed, but in special
cases you may take an exam early.
Grading
policy: The course grade is based upon
|
Grading Scale |
|
Grade Breakdown |
||
|
Letter |
Score |
|
Assignment |
Weight |
|
A |
75-100 |
|
Midterm exams |
45% |
|
B |
60-74 |
|
Final exam |
25% |
|
C |
50-59 |
|
Homework |
30% |
|
D |
40-49 |
|
|
|
|
F |
0-39 |
|
|
|
Exams:
Midterm exams are scheduled to occur on September 28, October 19, November 9,
and November 30. These dates may change but it's not likely. They are all on Wednesday nights from
Homework:
A few example problems will be assigned regularly. You should not believe that
the
Tentative
Course Schedule:
|
Week |
Chapters |
Description |
|
|
|
Unit
I: Vector Calculus |
|
1 |
1 |
course
overview, vector derivatives |
|
2 |
1 |
vector
derivatives and integrals, coordinate systems |
|
|
|
Exam
I: Wednesday, September 28, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unit
II: Electrostatics |
|
3 |
2 |
Coulomb's
law, Gauss' law, potential |
|
4 |
2 |
finding
potentials |
|
5 |
2 |
work
and energy, conductors |
|
|
|
Exam
II: Wednesday, October 19, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unit
III: Calculating Potentials |
|
6 |
3 |
method
of images |
|
7 |
3 |
separation
of variables |
|
8 |
3 |
spherical
symmetry, Legendre polynomials |
|
9 |
3 |
multipole expansion |
|
|
|
Exam
III: Wednesday, November 9, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unit
IV: Fields in Matter |
|
10 |
4 |
electric
polarization, displacement |
|
11 |
4 |
linear
dielectrics, capacitance, force on dielectrics |
|
|
|
Exam
IV: Wednesday, November 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unit
V: Magnetostatics |
|
12 |
5 |
uniform
currents, Biot-Savart law |
|
13 |
5 |
Ampere's
law, solenoids |
|
14 |
5 |
toroid, vector potential, multipole
expansion |
|
15 |
6,7 |
magnetization,
H, Ohm's law, Faraday's law, Maxwell's equations |
|
|
|
Final
Exam: Tuesday, December 20, |
Community Rights & Responsibilities:
Students with special needs should contact the Office of Disability Services
during the first two weeks of the semester in order to request
accommodation. A Reasonable
Accommodation Request-Report Form is available online. Religious beliefs will be accommodated
according to UWS 22.03 as long as the student notifies the instructor about the
conflict within the first three weeks of class.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic
integrity for their work in this course. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning
environment. It is the responsibility of all students to familiarize themselves
with University policies regarding special accommodations, misconduct,
religious beliefs accommodation, discrimination and absence for university
sponsored events. (For details please refer to the Community
Rights & Responsibilities document.)