PHYSICS 742
Electricity & Magnetism - I

Instructor: Simonetta Liuti

Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15, Room 218

Office Hours: Monday, 1:00 to 3:00 and when needed.

Textbook: Classical Electromagnetism, Second Edition, J.D. Jackson.

Brief Description and Aim: This course covers the theory of classical electromagnetism, from problems in electrostatics and magnetostatics to the Maxwell Equations. Most topics are going to be addressed by using tools of mathematical physics (Green's functions, spherical harmonics, Bessel functions, etc. ...), which are an essential part of the cultural background of any physicist. Moreover, the course prepares the ground for Electricity and Magnetism - II (offered next Fall), which is centerd around the interaction of radiation with matter, a subject widely dealt with in many areas of research, from condensed matter to nuclear and particle physics.

The textbook (Chapters 1 to 7) will be followed closely. Occasionally the instructor's notes are going to be handed out.

Organization and Grading:

• 1 midterm (Thursday, March 6th), on Chapters 1 to 3, .
• Homework .
• Final (Friday, May 9th), on Chapters 1 to 7, .

The homework assignements will be handed out on Thursdays and collected on the following Thursday, every week. No late papers are going to be accepted.

Syllabus

• Jan. 16th to 28th: Chapter 1.
• Jan. 30th to Feb. 11th: Chapter 2.
• Feb. 13th to 25th: Chapter 3.
• Feb. 27th to Mar. 4th: Chapter 4.
• Mar. 6th: Midterm.
• Mar. 18th to 27th: Chapter 5.
• Apr. 1st to 10th: Chapter 6.
• Apr. 15th to 29th: Chapter 7 and Review.
• May 6th (9:00-12:00): Final.

The dates on this Syllabus are tentative and could be varied as the course develops.