Physics 301
Theory of Electromagnetism
September-December, 2014
Professor Douglas Bryman
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of British Columbia
6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z1, Canada
UBC Office (286 Hennings): 604 822 0584
Office hours: By appointment (email).
bryman[@]phas.ubc.ca
Physics 301 Teaching Assistants: TBA
Physics 301 Course Information
Connect: http://elearning.ubc.ca/connect/
Course information (this file, Physics301_Course_Information
2014.pdf), calendar (301Schedule.pdf), homework assignments, and
homework solutions, will be posted on the 301 Connect site.
Time, Location:
Lectures MWF 13:00-14:00 Hennings 201
Tutorial Tu 13:00-14:00 Hennings 202 or
W
9:00-10:00 Hennings 202
Text: Introduction to Electrodynamics, D. Griffiths,4th edition (2013).
Others sources (some available at the library):
– Electricity and Magnetism, E. Purcell
– Electromagnetic Fields and Waves, P. Lorrain, et al.
– Electromagnetism, Pollack and Stump (2002)
– Classical Electrodynamics, J. D. Jackson (Graduate level)
Clickers: Obtain an iclicker from the bookstore (unless you already
have one). Register your clicker for this course. Note: if your bar code
is rubbed off, you can take it to the library (aka learning centre) to have
its RFID tag read.
Grades
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Homework Assignments (15%)
In-class assignments, Pre-reading and Clicker Quizes (5%)
Midterm Exam (35%)
Final exam (45%)
Homework Assignments:
Homework problem sets are due at class time on the date indicated.
Late assignments will not be accepted (except for tragic or medical
reasons). Only some “randomly” selected problems may be graded but
solutions to all will be posted on the web site.
In-class Activities:
Learning by “doing” with peer instruction is especially effective.
This course will use a hybrid approach i.e. material will be presented by
lecture accompanied by structured in-class group work and mini-quizes.
For in-class activities, work in small groups of 3-5; ask for assistance
when stuck.
To maximize your learning, come prepared by doing the prereading assignment. Lecture previews will be posted indicating the text
sections to read in advance along with tips and questions to think about.
Pre-reading may be rewarded with clicker quizzes that can easily be
answered if you read the assigned passages in the text and with the extra
benefit that you’ll be prepared for the classroom learning.
Lectures, In-class Activities
Tentative subjects for the lectures along with the homework assignments
have been posted on the Connect site (Phys301 Schedule 2014.pdf).
Work sheets for in-class activities may be handed out at the beginning of
the class. Some lecture notes will be posted after the class.
Topics
The course will cover material in Chapters 1-7 and 12 in Griffths' text.
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Math Tool Kit: Review of vectors, calculus
Electrostatics
Electric Fields and Potentials - Poisson and Laplace Equations
Multipoles
Energy and Capacitance
Dielectrics
Boundary Value Problems
Relativity and Magnetic Fields (Ch. 12)
Magnetostatics
Magnetic Fields and Vector Potential
Magnetic Materials
Magnetic Forces and Energy, Inductance
Faraday Induction
Maxwell's Equations
Tutorials
In addition to occasional quizzes, tutorials will be opportunities for
discussion and review of problems and applications of E&M. Make-up
lectures may also be given in the tutorials.
Academic Integrity!
Friendly Advice
E&M is sometimes thought to be a difficult physics course but it is one
of the most important. Everything in E&M follows from a few basic
principles which are then elaborated using the math techniques reviewed
in the first chapter of the text. A thorough understanding of these
techniques is key to success in E&M. To benefit most from the lectures
and tutorials, read the appropriate text sections in advance and come to
class with questions.
To learn this subject well, it takes practice. So, do as many problems as
possible, in addition to the homework assignments! (It’s recommended
by experts in teaching E&M that students do at least one problem each
day. The Griffiths text is an excellent source of problems.)
301 Course Objectives and Comments
See PHYS 301 Learning Goals.pdf on the Connect site.
Course-Level Goals
Electricity and Magnetism is one of the most important courses
you’ll take because it is relevant to virtually all fields of science.
That is one reason there are E&M courses at all levels from high
school to graduate school.
1. The derivations in this course are sometimes lengthy but the
mathematics used in these derivations is not advanced. Before the
course is over, you’ll be so good at the mathematical manipulations
that the math won’t get in the way of seeing the underlying physics.
2. While you are expected to remember basic relationships from physics
like F=dp/dt and c   you do not have to memorize complicated
formulas we derive in class. A list of formulas will be given for
exams. You will be able to select the applicable formula from the list
and know how to apply it to the task you’re working on.
3. You are not expected to memorize lengthy derivations. Rather,
through recognition and familiarity with the basic principles and with
the help of the text, a formula list, and other resources, you’ll be able
to go back and re-derive relationships and properties as needed.
4. It will be your habit to assess new results from the points-of-view of
math (e.g. does the formula make sense? what happens in the limit
as...?) and physics (e.g. is this consistent with previous results? does
it reproduce results seen in previous courses such as when v<<c,
when reduced to 1-dimension, etc.).
5. You will be able to demonstrate how Special Relativity unifies static
electric and magnetic fields by reproducing key steps in the
derivation, interpretations of the mathematical relationships and
analyses of real-world examples like a moving point charge, a wire
carrying current, and a parallel plate capacitor.
What’s the big goal for studying E&M? When you’re walking down the
street, you’ll be able to visualize the surrounding “ocean” of
electromagnetic waves as they travel through the air, reflect off surfaces
and metal objects, refract through glass, heat up objects that absorb
them, connect your phone to cell towers, turn the sky blue and the sunset
red,....