Module overview
Electromagnetism is one of the brilliant successes of nineteenth century physics and the equations formulated by Maxwell are believed to account exactly for all classical electromagnetic phenomena.
The aim of this course is to present the laws of electromagnetism, their experimental justification, and their application to physical phenomena.
Linked modules
Pre-requisites: PHYS1011 and PHYS1015 and PHYS1022
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Express electromagnetic laws in integral, differential and potential form
- Calculate electric and magnetic fields generated by charges and currents
- Describe and quantitatively evaluate the emission and propagation of electromagnetic waves in vacuum and in media
- Compute intensities and powers associated to electromagnetic fields
- Characterise the interaction between electric and magnetic fields and matter
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The propagation of electromagnetic waves in vacuum and in media
- The interaction of electric and magnetic fields with matter
- The fundamental laws of electrodynamics (Faraday’s and Ampere-Maxwell’s laws, Maxwell’s equations)
- Potentials, gauge invariances, generation of electromagnetic waves
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Develop mathematical tools for the description of physical phenomena (potential formulations, gauge invariances, wave properties)
- Derive theorems from first principles in integral and differential form
Syllabus
Vector analysis
- Div, grad and curl, continuity equation, vector identities
Electrostatics
- Coulomb’s and Gauss’s law, electric potential, multipole expansion
Magnetostatics
- Biot-Savart Law, Ampere’s law, magnetic vector potential
Electrodynamics
- Faraday’s law, Maxwell term, Maxwell’s equations, Poynting Vector
Electromagnetic waves in vacuum
- Prediction of electromagnetic waves, energy flow
Potential formulation of electrodynamics
- Scalar and vector potentials, gauge invariance and gauge choice
Electromagnetic radiation
- Oscillating electric dipole
Electromagnetism in matter
- Introduction to D and H fields
- Electromagnetic waves in matter, laws of optics, waveguides
Learning and Teaching
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Revision | 10 |
| Lecture | 36 |
| Tutorial | 12 |
| Completion of assessment task | 10 |
| Follow-up work | 18 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 18 |
| Wider reading or practice | 46 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
R B Leighton & M Sands (1964). The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Addison - Wesley.
D Halliday, R Resnick and J Walker (1997). Fundamentals of Physics. Wiley.
I S Grant and W R Phillips. Electromagnetism. Wiley.
D J Griffiths (1989). Introduction to electrodynamics. Prentice Hall.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Course work worth 20% of the module mark will be set and assessed in the normal way. In the event that a course work is missed, students will be required to go through the Special Considerations procedures in order to request mitigation for that piece of course work. Please note that documentary evidence will normally be required before these can be considered.
The final exam is worth 80% of the module mark.
Referral Method: By examination, the final mark will be calculated both with and without the coursework assessment mark carried forward, and the higher result taken.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Examination | 80% |
| Problem Sheets | 20% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Examination | 80% |
| Coursework marks carried forward | 20% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Examination | 80% |
| Problem Sheets | 20% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External