SYLLABUS
SDSU-S15
Physics 400B, Classical Electromagnetism
Instructor:
Prof. Joseph S. Chalmers
Office:
TBA
Office Hours:
TBA
E-mail:
chalmers@louisville.edu
Lecture:
11:00AM-12:15PM
Textbook:
Introduction to Electrodynamics,
Topics:
Ch 3; Solution of Laplace eq., Multipole expansion
T Th
P-245
4th ed. D. J. Griffiths
Ch 7: Review of Maxwell’s eqs.
Ch 8: Conservation laws
Ch 10: Potentials and Fields
Ch 11: Generation of E-M radiation
Ch 12: Special theory of relativity, covariant formulation of E-M
Grading:
Homework will be assigned and graded for each chapter.
There will be an exam at the middle and at the end of the term; format to
be decided.
The homework and the exams will each constitute 1/3 of the final grade.
Additional References:
Senior Level:
Reitz & Milford, Corson & Lorrain, Wangsness
Graduate Level:
Jackson (the most widely used graduate text), Landau &
Lifshitz (Classical Theory of Fields), Panofsky & Phillips
GENERAL INFORMATION
Forward
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the material in this course for
the education of a physicist. Typically, a full year is provided for the presentation of the
material in a text such as Griffiths. Even with a full year at our disposal, there is a lot of
material to absorb. It is critical that you to stay on top of this course; catching up will be
tough.
Homework Homework problems are intended to provide you with practice in applying
the material covered in class. Your ability to solve these problems should be an indication
to yourself as to how well you understand the material and to how well you may expect
to do on the exams. Working with other students and consulting other textbooks is
expected and encouraged. However, you should avoid excessive collaboration. Identical
solutions (especially with identical errors) are hard to miss. If you get stuck on a
problem, check with me during office hours or by e-mail and we’ll try to get you on
track. Homework is due on date specified; no extensions.
HW Caution Solutions of homework problems from Griffiths, like most widely-used
texts, can be readily found on the Web. These solutions (often wrong) are usually easy
for an instructor to recognize. Their use is strongly discouraged for reasons ranging from
the risk of self-deception on the part of the student to the SDSU Policy on Plagiarism,
which requires an instructor to report suspected instances of plagiarism.
Office Hours Instructor office hours are a resource that is provided to you to maximize
the benefit from your courses. It is typical for students here and elsewhere to avail
themselves of this resource only when an exam is imminent. You should understand that
this is equivalent to receiving your health care in a hospital Emergency Room.
Exams
For in-class exams, no electronic devices permitted other than nongraphical calculators. No make-up exams.