Syllabus
Physics 436
Spring 2017

Here is the schedule of topics,
with reading, homework,
and discussion assignments.
     Click on a date to see its lecture.
Homework solutions will be posted after the HW due date.
Discussion solutions will be posted after the last discussion.
Return to the course home page.

Date:     Topic:     Reading:     Homework:     Checkpoint:     Discussion:    
 
January 18 Introduction. Conservation laws. 2.4.3-4, 7.2.4 Due Jan. 23 Checkpoint 1 Solution
20 Poynting vector, energy flow. 8.1 Solution

January 23 Conservation of momentum, stress tensor. 8.2.1-3 Due Jan. 30 Checkpoint 2 Solution
25 Maxwell stress tensor. Solution
27 Angular momentum. Poynting in materials. 8.2.4

January 30 Wave review. Click for P435 lectures 9.1.1-2,4,  9.2.1-3
  9.3.1, 9.4.1
Due Feb. 6 Checkpoint 3 Solution
February 1 Boundary conditions. Normal incidence. 9.1.3, 9.3.2 Solution
3 Oblique incidence. 9.3.3

February 6 Brewster's angle. Conducting surfaces. 9.4.2 Due Feb. 13 Checkpoint 4 Solution
8 Fourier decomposition Not in the book. Solution
10     ”

February 13 Dispersion (video) 9.4.3 Due Feb.20 Checkpoint 5 Solution
15     ” Solution
17 Wave guides. 9.5.1

February 20 TE modes 9.5.2 Due Feb. 27 Checkpoint 6 Solution
22 Exam (Solution) Solution
24 Coaxial cables. Impedance. 9.5.3

27 Resonant cavities. Due Mar. 6 Checkpoint 7 Solution
March 1 Vector potential. 10.1.1 Solution
3 Gauge invariance. 10.1.2-3

March 6 Retarded potentials. 10.2.1 Due Mar. 13 Checkpoint 8 Solution
8 Point charges. Liénard-Wiechert potentials. 10.3.1 Solution
10 Fields produced by a moving point charge 10.3.2

March 13 Begin radiation 11.1.1 Due Mar. 27 Checkpoint 9 Solution
15 Electric dipole radiation 11.1.2 Solution
17 Magnetic dipole radiation 11.1.3

March 21
23 -- Spring Break --
25

March 27 Arbitrary sources 11.1.4 Due Apr. 3 Checkpoint 10 Solution
29 Radiation from a point charge 11.2 Solution
31 Special relativity. 1905 papers: 1, 2 12.1.1-2

April 3 4-D rotations. t-dilation & l-contraction. 12.1.3 Due Apr. 10 Checkpoint 11 Solution
5 Exam (Solution) Solution
7 Writing manifestly covariant expressions. 12.2.1-2

April 10 Kinematics and conservation laws. 12.2.3 Due Apr. 17 Checkpoint 12 Solution
12 Relativistic dynamics 12.2.4 Solution
14 Moving emitters (Doppler effect).

April 17 Begin electrodynamics. 12.3.1 Due Apr. 24 Checkpoint 13 Solution
19 How E & B transform. The field tensor 12.3.2-3 Solution
21 Field invariants.

April 24 Electrodynamics with tensors. 12.3.4 Due May 1 Checkpoint 14 Solution
26 Covariant Maxwell's equations. Solution
28 No Class 12.3.5

May 1 Scattering (not in book) -- None --
3 Scattering (not on exam)

May 5 Final exam 7PM - 10PM in 144 Loomis

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