Course Syllabus
ECE 370 – Electromagnetic Fields and Waves I
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
1. Course Number and Name:
2. Credit Units/Contact Hours:
3. Course Coordinator:
ECE 370 – Electromagnetic Fields and Waves I
3/3
Sembiam R. Rengarajan
4. Text, References & Software
Recommended Text:
D. K. Cheng, Fundamentals of Engineering Electromagnetics, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ, 1993.
5. Specific Course Information
a. Course Description
Study of waves in transmission line circuits, transient and steady state solutions, phasors,
reflection coefficient, Smith chart, matching circuits, wave propagation in materials,
vector analysis, electrostatics, magnetostatics, steady electric currents, quasi-statics, and
electromagnetic fields.
b. Prerequisite by Topic
Students taking this course should have complete familiarity with the topics of
Differential Equations (Math 280 or ECE280) and Circuit Analysis (ECE240/L).
c. Required Course
6. Specific Goals for the Course
a. Specific Outcomes of Instructions – After completing this course the students should be able to:
1. Solve transmission line problems in time domain and frequency domain. Find the relationship
between load impedance, input impedance etc. Match the load to the transmission line using
quarter wave transformer, single or double stub tuners.
2. Analyze vector fields using various operations such as gradient, divergence, curl, and
Laplacian.
3. Obtain the electric potential and field for given source distributions, determine the capacitance of
a transmission line, solve Laplace’s and Poisson’s equations in electrostatics.
4. Determine the magnetic field produced by steady current distributions, find the force between
line currents, find the force on a current loop, and determine the inductance of transmission
lines.
5. Explain permittivity, permeability, conductivity, and apply boundary conditions at
discontinuities.
6. Write plane wave solution of the wave equation, and compare the plane wave solution with
transmission line solutions. Explain the meaning of polarization of electromagnetic waves, and
explain the relation between field theory and circuit theory.
7. Apply the above-mentioned skills to real world problems such as the design of transmission
lines.
b. Relationship to Student Outcomes
This supports the achievement of the following student outcomes:
a. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to the analysis of
electrical engineering problems.
b. An ability to design and conduct scientific and engineering experiments, as well as to
analyze and interpret data.
c. An ability to design systems which include hardware and/or software components within realistic
constraints such as cost, manufacturability, safety and environmental concerns.
e. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve electrical engineering problems.
i. A recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
k. An ability to use modern engineering techniques for analysis and design.
n. Knowledge of mathematics including differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables and
discrete math.
7. Topics Covered/Course Outline
1. Transmission Line Equations in time domain
2. Transmission Line Equations in frequency domain
3. Vector Field Theory
4. Electrostatics
5. Magnetostatics
6. Maxwell’s Equations and Plane Waves
Prepared by:
Sembiam R. Rengarajan, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, October 2011
Ali Amini, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, March 2013