PHYSICS 210A

ELECTRODYNAMICS

Winter Quarter 2010

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Announcements:

Midterm: Is now graded and will be returned in class on Wednesday.  The mean score was 74.  Here is the histogram:

Scores below the average are worthy effort for improvement.  Unless improved by homework and final, scores below 50% are not passing. Problem 1b was somewhat large in scope for a 75-min exam; without 1b, the class mean was 61/75=81%.

Midterm Solutions: are available here. If you missed any problems, please study the solutions.  Midterm problems are fair game for the final!

Mathematica Spreadsheet for Example: Lecture on Tues 28 Jan discussed the example of a half-infinite cylinder with constant potential Vo on the base and grounded walls.  This Mathematica spreadsheet creates the figures.

Discussion Section will be at 12:30-1:30 pm on Mondays, in the room 116 of Bldg 407.  The discussion section will be informal: it will be analogous to office hours in the PSR, but with fewer interruptions.

Grading: Here is the new grading scheme:  We will have one midterm, counting for 15% of the grade. Homework will count for 40%. The final will count for 45%.

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SYLLABUS

Prof. Carl Gwinn
2015E Broida Hall
(805)-893-2814
cgwinn=at=physics.ucsb.edu (Note: Replace =at= with @ for email)
Office Hours: W 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, F 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Lectures: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm, MW, Girvetz 2129

Discussion Section: 10-11 am in Room 116 of Bldg 407, on 19 Jan only
12:30-1:30 pm on Mondays, in Room 116 of Bldg 407, on 25 Jan and after

TAs:
Ru Chen
rchen=at=physics.ucsb.edu
Office Hours: M 1:30 - 4:30, in the PSR
Amy Thompson
amy=at=physics.ucsb.edu

Required Textbook: J.D. Jackson, Electrodynamics, 3rd edition. This book has become standard as a text for physics classes in electrodynamics at the graduate level.  Every serious physicist should be familiar with it.

Electrostatics, Magnetostatics, and Maxwell's Equation: Electromagnetism is the prototypical field theory.  Field theories have become one of the most powerful tools of physics. We will cover electrostatics, magnetostatics, and Maxwell's Equations.

The course will focus on solving problems.  We will rely heavily on the symmetries and properties of the electric field, but will cover techniques with applicability to less symmetric problems, and to problems throughout electromagnetism.

Tests and Grading: We will have one midterm, counting for 15% of the grade. Homework will count for 40%. The final will count for 45%. Exams and homework will be graded according to a curve. No homework will be accepted late, and exams are to be taken at the scheduled time.

Homework: Homework will be assigned each week, to be turned it on Mondays at 5 pm.  You are encouraged to work with your classmates on the problems; this will help to consolidate your knowledge. Solutions will be posted on eres.

Approximate Schedule of Lectures and Reading:

WK	Date	Reading		Topic
		I.1-I.6		Please read I, "Introduction and Survey"
1	4 Jan	1.1-1.6	Electrostatics	Coulomb Law, E-Field, Potential
	6 Jan	1.7-1.10		Green Functions
2	11 Jan			Gauss's Law, Faraday's Law, Boundary Conditions
	13 Jan	1.11-1.12, 2.1-2.5		Capactiance, Images
3	18 Jan	Holiday: Martin Luther King Day
	20 Jan	2.6-2.10	Orthogonal Functions	Orthogonal Functions, Separation of Variables
4	25 Jan	3.1-3.6		Spherical Geometry
	27 Jan	3.7-3.8		Cylindrical Geometry
5	1 Feb	3.10-3.13		Mixed Geometry
	3 Feb	4.1-4.2	Multipoles	Multipoles
6	8 Feb	4.3-4.7		Dielectrics
	10 Feb	Midterm
7	15 Feb	Holiday: President's Day
	17 Feb	5.1-5.5	Magnetostatics	Biot-Savart Law, Vector Potential
8	22 Feb	5.6-5.8		Magnetic Moment, Magnetic Materials
	24 Feb	5.9-5.13		Boundary-Value Problems in Magnetostaics
9	1 Mar	6.1-6.3	Maxwell Equations	Displacement Current, Gauge Transformations
	3 Mar	6.4-6.5		Green Function for the Wave Equation, Retarded Time
10	8 Mar	6.6-6.9		Media, Poynting Theorem
10	10 Mar	6.10-6.13		Review
Final Exam: Fri 19 March, 12-3 pm

Homework Assignments.  Homework is due Mondays at 5 pm in a box outside the PSR. Solutions are posted on eres.

N	Problems	Due Date
1	HW1 Please also do additional parts: HW1_Added	11 Jan
2	HW2	20 Jan (Weds)
3	HW3	26 Jan (Tues)
4	HW4	2 Feb (Tues)
5	HW5	9 Feb (Tues)
6	HW6	17 Feb (Weds)
7	HW7	23 Feb (Tues)
8	HW8	3 Mar (Weds)
9	HW9	9 Mar (Tues)
X		Not Graded

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