Physics 435
General Information

Return to the course home page.

What:

This course presents a systematic development of electrodynamics, including Maxwell's equations, electrostatics and magnetostatics, boundary value problems, fields in matter, and electromagnetic waves (moved from P436).
The second semester (P436) covers electromagnetic waves, potentials and gauge invariance, and relativistic electrodynamics.

Prerequisite: MATH 285; credit or concurrent enrollment in PHYS 325.
Note: Math 241 (vector calculus) is much more important in E&M than in mechanics.

Here is the big picture overview of the course topics, and what I hope that you'll learn. For more week-by-week detail, see the course syllabus.

Purpose:

Two major goals:

Don't be frightened by the phrase “field theory”. You are learning it now! Field theory includes phenomena that are more easily described by continuous distributions (“fields”) than by discrete particles. These include fluid mechanics (P326) and electromagnetism (P435-6). I hope to make the concepts sufficiently clear that the when you get to quantum mechanics, you'll be able to focus on the quantum aspects.

When and where:

Lecture:   MWF   10:00 - 10:50 AM    144 Loomis
Discussion:   Monday   5, 6, 7, or 8 PM (50 minutes)    158 Loomis

Books:

Required:

Supplementary reading: Other books: (on reserve in the Grainger library)

Format and grades:

Staff:

Lectures:    Tom Kuhlman
Phone217-300-0207
Email tkuhlman@illinois.edu
Web My home page
 
Homework: Davide Iaia (even sets)   Chang-Tse Hsieh (odd sets)
Email diaia2@illinois.edu    chsieh9@illinois.edu
 
Discussion: K. Michael Martini  
Email kmmarti2@illinois.edu   
 
Office hours:
  Monday 11AM - 12PM  315 Loomis   Tom
   12 - 1 PM  204 Loomis   Davide
   1 - 2 PM  3115 ESB   Michael
   2 - 3 PM  4139 ESB   Chang-Tse
  Friday 11AM - 12PM  315 Loomis   Tom

Return to the course home page.