Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF | SPA4210)

Year: 1 | Semester: B | Level: 4 | Credits: 15

Course organiser: Dr Chris White | Course deputy: Prof Francesca Di Lodovico

Synopsis:

An introduction to the basic laws of electromagnetism: electric force and field; electric potential and energy; capacitance; electromotive force; magnetic force and field; the Lorentz force; electromagnetic induction; mutual and self inductance; magnetic energy; Maxwell's equations; introduction to electromagnetic waves; applications in science and engineering.

Aims:

The aims of this course are the basic laws of Electromagnetism. It is based around the development and use of Maxwell's equations in integral form.

Outcomes:

At the end of the course, successful students will be able to: state and explain the basic laws of electromagnetism; apply them to elementary problems involving steady and changing fields and currents; understand the nature of electromagnetic radiation. The main Aims and Learning Outcomes of the course may be summarised as follows: To learn and remember the rigorous definitions of, relationships between, and physical significance of the important quantities in basic Electricity and Magnetism: Electric charge and force Electric field and flux Electric energy and potential Capacitance Electric current and resistance Electric power Magnetic force Magnetic field and flux Electromotive force Mutual and self Inductance Most students will have met many of these ideas before, but the course assumes no prior knowledge. To learn, remember, understand and apply the basic laws describing the relationships between these quantities and the behaviour of the Electric and Magnetic Fields, i.e., Maxwell's equations. This is the most important element of the course, and involves: being able to STATE the mathematical expressions of these laws; being able to EXPLAIN using words and simple diagrams the physical meanings and implications of the laws; being able to APPLY the laws to solve problems. The emphasis is on physical intuition and visualisation rather than an overly mathematical approach. To acquire a good conceptual understanding of how the fundamental relationships, as embodied in Maxwell's equations, imply the existence of electromagnetic waves. To develop and practice some general skills which are essential for the course, and also have many applications in other subjects: e.g., vector algebra; basic calculus (simple integration and solution of first-order differential equations); 3-dimensional visualisation.

Recommended books:

Young, H.D. and Freedman, R.A.
University Physics With Modern Physics
Longman HE, (11th edition, 2003)
ISBN 0-201-60336-5