School of Physics

Electrodynamics

Course Description

Recommended Reading:

The course is directly taken from the text, "Introduction to Electrodynamics", by D J Griffiths (3rd Edition). However, the 2nd Edition is okay (different page numbering etc.), there is one copy of 3rd and 2nd edition on closed reserve at the Mathematics and Physical Science Library. The text may be purchased from the UWA bookshop. The course outline below details the relevant chapters (and pages) that covers the course. However, these sections sometimes go into more detail (or less) than is necessary for the examination, this will be distinguished in the lectures.

Resources

You may down load all assignments and past exams from this page (plus more)

Course Outline:

1. Quasi-static form of Maxwell's Equations in vacuum, electric and
magnetic potentials. (Revision of 2nd Year)

Lecture 1: Electrostatics: CH2 page: 58-87
Lecture 2: Magnetostatics: CH5 page: 202-240

2. Dynamic form of Maxwell's Equations in vacuum, electric and magnetic
potentials. (Revision of 2nd Year)

Lecture 3: Faradays Law: CH7 page: 301-304. Complete Maxwell's
equations in vacuum: CH7 page: 321-328.
The potential formulation for time varying fields: CH 10 page: 416-422.

3. Complete Maxwell's Equations in matter.
Lecture 4-6: Electric fields in matter: CH4 page: 160-183. Define
electric dipole CH3 page: 146-150. Define magnetic dipole moment CH5
page: 242-244. Magnetic fields in matter: CH6 page: 263-271, 274-275.
Lecture 6: Generalizing Maxwell's equations in matter: CH7 page
328-330. Boundary Conditions: CH7 page 331-333.

4. Physical properties of electromagnetic waves.
Lecture 7-8: Electromagnetic waves in vacuum and non-conducting linear
media: CH9 page 375-380, 382-3.
Lecture 9-10: Reflection and transmission between two non-conducting
media: CH9 page 384-392.
Lecture 11-12: Electromagnetic energy and momentum, Poynting vector,
stress tensor: CH8 page: 345-356: CH9 page 380-382, 391.
Lecture 13: Electromagnetic waves in conductors: CH9 page 392-396.
Lecture 14: Reflection of a conducting surface: CH9 page 396-398.
Lecture 15: Frequency dependence of permittivity: CH9 page 398-404
Lecture 16: Guided waves: CH9 page 405-411.

5. Special Relativity and Electrodynamics.
Lecture 17: Lorentz Transformation, 4 vectors and tensors: CH12 page
500-502.
Lecture 17-18: Relativistic Electrodynamics and the Field Tensor: CH12
page 522-541.

Lecturer

Contact Profile Address

W/Prof Michael Tobar

Winthrop Professor/ARC Australian Laureate Fellow
Academic Staff (Physics)

Telephone Number
6488 3443

Fax Number
6488 1235

Email Address
mike@physics.uwa.edu.au

Home Page
http://www.physics.uwa.edu.au/~mike