Electromagnetism
Full course description
Electromagnetism, also known as Maxwell theory, is the science of one of the four fundamental forces in Nature and deals with the effects of electrical charge and the associated forces, potentials and energies. Electromagnetism unites the concepts of electricity and magnetism. These two concepts and their relations form the core of this course, which ultimately can be expressed in the four fundamental laws of electromagnetism: Maxwell’s equations. Important components of the course are:
- Electrostatics (week 1 and 2);
- Electric Field in Matter (week 3);
- Magnetostatics (week 4 and 5);
- Magnetic Fields in Matter (week 6).
These topics are divided over the six lecturing weeks of the course. Alongside the course, there will be exercises on Vector Analysis during the tutorials and as homework.
Course objectives
- To acquaint the student with the basics of electromagnetism;
- To acquire general understanding of theoretical and practical methods in electromagnetism;
- To serve as sufficient basis for future education in physical sciences;
- To be able to apply this knowledge to concrete practical problems;
- To be able to read texts that build on the subjects of this course.
Prerequisites
- MAT2009
Co-requisites
- None
Recommended
- MAT2004
- PHY1101
Recommended reading
The course will closely follow the book Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J Griffiths, chapters 1 (vector analysis), 2 (electrostatics), 4 (electric fields in matter), 5 (magnetostatics) and 6 (magnetic fields in matter).