Physics 785 (Advanced Electricity and Magnetism) is a graduate level
introduction to the classical theory of the electromagnetic field.
The first semester covers mainly static phenomena, and the second
semester (PY 786) will cover time dependent phenomena.
Lecture:
MWF 9:10-10:00, RID 314
Instructor: T. Schaefer, Office RID 400F
email: Thomas_Schaefer[at]ncsu.edu
Office hours: MW. 3:00-4:00 and by appointment.
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Homework:
Most Fridays a set of homework problems will be
assigned. (You can also check the website.) The homework is due Friday
the following week at 10:00am. No late homework will be accepted.
Exams
There will be two midterm exams and a final.
Grade
Your final grade will be determined by weighting the various
portions of the course as follows:
Midterms: 30%, Final: 40%, Homework: 30%
Textbook
(required) Classical Electrodynamics (Third Edition),
John David Jackson. This is really the only book you need. If you
absolutely think you need something else: ``Introduction to Electrodynamics''
by David J. Griffiths is an abridged version of Jackson for undergraduates,
and ``Classical Electrodynamics'' by Walter Greiner is a translation of
Jackson's book to German, which was subsequently translated back to
english. An extra resource are two volumes in the series by Landau
and Lifshitz, ``The Classical Theory of Fields'' (Vol 2) and
``Electrodynamics of Continuous Media'' (Vol 8).
Course Objectives
The objectives of the course are (i) to introduce the student to
electrodynamics at a theoretically sophisticated level; (ii) develop
problem solving skills; (iii) develop the techniques of mathematical
physics to solve problems in E&M as well as other areas of physics.
Academic Integrity Policies The University has a formal
policy on Academic Integrity, included in the
Code of Student Conduct.
For PY785, the implications are straightforward: your work is your own unless
collaboration is explicitly authorized (or required). With regard to to
homework assignments I find it acceptable (indeed desirable) to collaborate
with other students in solving the homework problems, but I expect you to
write up the results on your own. Handing in copies of other student's work,
or of material that is available on the internet is not acceptable.
Students with Disabilities
NC State University is committed to providing appropriate support and
accommodation to students with documented disabilities. It is,
however, the student's responsibility to contact the Disability Services
Office (DSO; Student Health Center; 515-7653;
http://www.ncsu.edu/dso)
who provide a
range of services and can coordinate contact with faculty to request
appropriate accommodations. The student must present documentation
from DSO to a faculty member in whose class accommodations are
requested. All this is normal and well-understood by faculty in
Physics, where reasonable accommodations are routinely arranged.
Handouts:
[Bessel expansions (nb),
(nb.pdf)]
[Delta fct in mutipole expansion]
News: Lectures on Aug. 30 and Sep. 1 will be given by Dr. Roland.
No lecture on September 3. (BUT: A new homework assignment will
be posted on September 3.)
No lecture on September 6 (Labor Day).
First midterm announced (September 22).
Second midterm announced (November 3).
Lectures on October 18 and 20 will be given by Dr. Lee.
No lecture on October 22.
Two-week homework assignment due on October 29.
No lecture on November 5. HW9 available on-line.
Lectures on November 15 and 17 will be given by Dr. Lee.
No lecture on November 19.
Homework 10 due on November 22.
HW7 (due Oct 15): Jackson 3.12.
[solution,
nb,
nb.pdf]
Note: A useful relation (which we did not discuss in class)
is Jackson (3.108). The proposed answer to 3.12c may not
be right -- I get a slightly different result (also involving
elliptic integrals).
HW8 (due Oct 29): Jackson 4.7, 4.9, 4.10.
[solution]
(There was a typo in the initial assignment -- it
listed 4.12 rather than 4.10. You may hand in either
one of these two problems.)
HW9 (due Nov 12): [problem,solution]
Note: The Cauchy-Riemann differential equations express the conditions that a complex function f(z)=u(x,y)+i*v(x,y) with z=x+i*y has to satisfy in order to be analytic (differentiable in the complex plane).
HW10 (due Nov 22): Jackson 5.3, 5.6, 5.13.
[solution]
Midterm Exam 1: Wednesday, September 22, 9:10-10:00.
Material: Jackson 1,2.1-2.7.
Midterm Exam 2: Wednesday, November 3, 9:10-10:00.
Material: Jackson 1.1-4.4.