Syllabus for Physics 411 – Fall 2011

Electricity and Magnetism

(Check here frequently for important announcements related to the course)

Official Course Description: Title: Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism; Credits: 4; Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD;
Prerequisite: PHYS374; Topics: Foundations of electromagnetic theory, with extensive applications of the methods. Thorough treatment of wave properties of solutions of Maxwell's equations.

Instructor: Professor Kaustubh Agashe Phone: (301)-405-6018

Office: Room 4119 Physics Building e-mail: kagashe_at_umd.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday 2.00-3.00 pm. and Thursday 2.00-3.00 pm. (or by appointment.)

Teaching Assistant: Doojin Kim [email: immworry_at_umd.edu, Phone: (301) 405-6019]; Office hours: 1:30pm - 2:30pm 
on Monday and 4:00pm - 5:00pm on Wednesday in Room 4110, Physics Building.

Lecture Time: 11:00-11:50 pm. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Lecture Room: Room 1402, John S. Toll Physics Building

Required Textbook: Introduction to Electrodynamics, D.J. Griffiths, Third Edition, Prentice Hall

Homework: The homework assignments (problem sets) will generally be assigned here on Tuesdays, and should be handed in at the beginning of class the following Tuesday or in folder outside Room 4119 by 5 pm.. Late homework will be accepted at the discretion

of the instructor (in particular, a valid documented excuse such a medical problem, religious holiday, or serious family crisis is

required)., but not after solutions have been handed out.

No homework will be dropped for any reason. For full credit for any written homework or exam problem,

in addition to the correct answer, you must show the steps/justify your approach as much as possible.

Solutions to homework (and exams) will be posted here.

Exams: There will be 2 exams given during the lecture periods (50 minutes in length). Both exams will contribute to the final grade for the course. The final exam will be given during the standard exam period. The date and time of the exam are not yet determined. You must take the final exam to pass the course. There will be no make-up for the exams, unless there is a strong documented excuse (medical problem, religious holiday, or serious family crisis).

Details such as which topics will be covered in each exam, whether crib sheets will be allowed etc. will be posted later.

Grade: The semester grade will be based on the homework, in-class exams and the final exam
with the following tentative weights: 2 in-class exams: 30%, homework: 35%, final exam: 35%

Attendance: Regular attendance and participation in this class is the best way to grasp the concepts and principles being discussed. Please try to attend every class and to read up the relevant chapter(s) of the textbook before coming to the class.

Some class notes will be posted here.

Academic Honesty: Note that, although you are encouraged to discuss homework with other students, any work you submit must be your own and should reflect your own understanding. In fact, the main way you will understand Physics (and thus do well on the exams) is by doing the homework (that too by yourself).

In addition, academic dishonesty, such as cheating on an exam or copying homework, is a serious offense which may result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the 
Student Honor Council.  This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate 
students.  As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course.  It is very important for you to 
be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of 
Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.shc.umd.edu.
 
To further exhibit your commitment to academic integrity, please sign the Honor Pledge (which covers all 
examinations and Assignments) and turn it in as “Homework 1”: 
 

"I pledge on my honor that I will not give or receive any unauthorized assistance (including

from other persons and online sources) on all examinations, quizzes and homework assignments 
in this course."

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(TENTATIVE) schedule of Physics 411 topics, exams, and holidays (more detailed schedule, for example,

by chapter-sections, will be posted as part of the “announcements” here roughly at the beginning of each week.)

Week	Dates	Main Topics	Chapter in Griffiths
1	Sep. 1-2	Electrostatics; (Review of) Vector Analysis	Chap. 2, 1
2	Sep. 6-9	(Review of) Vector Analysis; Electrostatics	Chaps. 1,2
3	Sep. 12-16	Electrostatics , Special techniques (Laplace’s Equation…)	Chaps. 2, 3
4	Sep.. 19-23	Special techniques	Chap. 3
5	Sep. 26-30	Electric Fields in Matter	Chap. 4
6	Oct. 3-7	Magnetostatics	Chap. 5
7	Oct. 10-13	Magnetic Fields in Matter	Chap. 6
7	Friday, Oct. 14	Exam I	(To be decided (TBD)
8	Oct. 17-21	Magnetic Fields in Matter; Electrodynamics	Chaps. 6, 7
9	Oct. 24-28	Electrodynamics	Chap. 7
10	Oct. 31-Nov. 4	Conservation Laws	Chap.8
11	Nov. 7-11	Electromagnetic Waves	Chap. 9
12	Nov. 14-17	Electromagnetic Waves; Potentials and Fields	Chaps. 9 , 10
12	Friday, Nov.18	Exam II	TBD
13	Nov.21-22 (Thanksgiving week)	Potentials and Fields	Chap.10
14	Nov. 28-Dec.2	Electromagnetic Radiation	Chap.11
15	Dec.5-9	Electrodynamics and Special Relativity	Chap.12
16	Dec.12-13	Relativity	Chap. 12
16.	Dec. 14 (Wed., tentative)	Review session	TBD
16.	Dec.15 (Thurs.), 8-10 am., Rm 1402	Final Exam	TBD