Syllabus for Physics 411 – Fall 2013

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. in Room 4119 and Thursday 1.00-2.00 pm. in Room 4102 (this will be sort of an informal discussion session and if this room is not available, then we will move to the

                                               lobby area down the corridor). It might be possible to have office hours at other times by appointment.

                                                                       

Teaching Assistant: Wan-ting Liao [email:firechicken@livemail.tw, Phone: (240)-492-9278]; Office hours: 2.30–3.30 pm 

on Monday in Room 4102 (this will be sort of an informal discussion session and if this room is not available, then we will move to the lobby area down the corridor) and Wednesday 4-5 pm. in Room 0104, Physics Building. It might be possible to have office hours at other times by appointment.

 

 

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, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall

 

Homework: The homework assignments (problem sets) will generally be assigned here on Tuesdays, and should be handed in class the following Thursday 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: 50%, homework: 15%, 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 https://po4.mail.umd.edu/wm/mail/fetch.html?urlid=60ba224f52decf4c3ca37cbe7bd3bfa5a&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.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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important to the improvement of teaching and learning at the University as well as to the

tenure and promotion process. CourseEvalUM (go here) is open till December  15 (Sunday) for you to complete your

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

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

 

Week

Dates

Main Topics

Chapter in Griffiths

1

Sep. 3-6

Electrostatics; (Review of) Vector Analysis

Chap. 2, 1

2

Sep. 9-13

(Review of) Vector Analysis; Electrostatics

Chaps. 1,2

3

Sep. 16-20

Electrostatics , Special techniques   (Laplace’s Equation…)

Chaps. 2, 3

4

Sep. 23-27

Special techniques

Chap. 3

5

Sep. 30-Oct.4

Electric Fields in Matter

Chap. 4

6

Oct. 7-11

Magnetostatics

Chap. 5

7

Oct. 14-18

Magnetic Fields in Matter

Chap. 6

7

Thursday, Oct. 17

(and Fri., Oct. 18)

Exam I

(and going through solutions next day)

Chap. 2, 3, 4

8

Oct. 21-25

Magnetic Fields in Matter; Electrodynamics

Chaps. 6, 7

9

Oct. 28-Nov.1

Electrodynamics

Chap. 7

10

Nov. 4-8

Conservation Laws

Chap.8

11

Nov. 11-15

Electromagnetic Waves

Chap. 9

12

Nov. 18-22

Electromagnetic Waves; Potentials and Fields

Chaps. 9 , 10

12

Tuesday, Nov. 19

Exam II

Chap. 5, 6, 7

13

Nov.25-26 (Thanksgiving week)

Potentials and Fields

 Chap.10

14

Dec. 2-6

Electromagnetic Radiation

Chap.11

15

Dec. 9-13

Radiation, Electrodynamics and Special Relativity

Chap. 11,12

 15.

Dec. 13 (Fri.), 5 pm.

Review session

Chap.2-11

16.

Dec. 16 (Mon.,

8-10 am.)

Final Exam

 

Chap.2-11