PHY 4324   ELECTROMAGNETISM  II

Tentative Syllabus (Version of 22 August 2000)

Fall 2000   Section No. 3911   3 credits

http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~meisel/phy4324.htm

 

Instructor:      Mark W. Meisel, Department of Physics, University of Florida

                     Best Place to Find Me: NPB B133, Tel:  2-9147, Fax:  2-7709

                     Alternative Place to Find Me: NPB 2358, Tel: 2-8867

                     Email: meisel@phys.ufl.edu

                     Office Hours:  M W F 8th period (15:00 - 15:50) and by appointment.

 

Prerequisite: Successful completion of PHY 3323 or permission of the instructor.

 

Meeting Times:         M W F  4th period (10:40 – 11:30 hrs) in NPB 1011

 

Textbook:    David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition), Prentice‑Hall, 1999.

 

Grading:       During the course, there will be nominally 9, 5-point quizzes, normally 10 minutes in length and usually on Friday at the end of the class period.  The 7 best quiz scores will be used for computing the final grade.  There will also be four, 50-point, 50-minutes mid-term examinations.  The mid-term examinations will be given in class.  At the end of the course, there will be one, 100-point two-hour final examination.  The grade at the end of the semester will be based upon the summation of all possible points.  In other words, the total number of available points is 335.  No make-up quizzes or examinations are scheduled.  Attendance at all quizzes and examinations is definitely expected.

 

Posting:        Materials and information concerning the course will be posted on the Course Webpage, see http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~meisel/phy4324.htm.

 

Subject and Focus of the Course

 

       This course, PHY 4324, is the second part of a two semester course, with PHY 3323 comprising the first part.  Both parts are required for an undergraduate physics degree.  In general, the material will cover all aspects of electricity and magnetism.  There is a natural break in the subject material between Chapters 6 and 7, namely between "statics" and "dynamics".  Consequently, during the first semester, the mathematical foundations necessary for the entire course were established and the material concerning "statics" was covered.  The goal of this semester is to cover the "dynamics".

 

       Students entering this course have a wide variety of backgrounds.  Although quite a bit of material may seem redundant, do not be fooled or lulled into a false sense of intellectual security.  The course will attempt to be self-contained and will lay the foundations of the mathematics necessary for understanding the material.  If you find this material boring, please understand that its coverage is necessary for those students whose background may not be as comprehensive as your own.  If at any time you are truly bored, please talk to the instructor.  He can make suitable arrangements/adjustments or assign more sophisticated problems for your private consideration.

       The course is constructed and aimed for constant class participation.  The instructor will assume that you are reading the book and working the examples and relevant problems.  You are expected to maintain the pace of the course, and the quizzes and examinations are designed to help guide you in this process.  Cramming before an examination will not work!  Like a world-class athlete, you must train your mind to think physics, and this training should be performed EVERYDAY.  Of course, you do not want to burn-out, but you must train to think like a physicist everyday.

 

       Attendance in class is definitely expected since material outside the textbook may be presented.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MATERIAL COVERED IN THE TEXT AND IN CLASS.  ALL THIS MATERIAL IS RELEVANT FOR QUIZZES AND EXAMINATIONS, unless otherwise stated.

 

       The ultimate goal of the course is for the students to learn more details about electricity and magnetism and to be able to use the machinery of mathematics to solve general problems associated with the subject.  Highly specialized problems are the subject of advanced courses in physics, astronomy and electrical engineering.  To realize this goal, the students will not be allowed to use textbooks or notes for the quizzes or the examinations.  Any specialized details, formulas or physical constant values will be provided as needed.  For example, during the course, the student will be so versed in Maxwell Equations (at the appropriate moment in the course), normally achieved by having worked numerous problems and examples, that these equations will be committed to short-term memory (and hopefully long-term memory).

 

       A final word about successful completion of the course:  there is no secret.  If you attend class (and participate), read the textbook, and work the problems and examples, then you will learn the material.  When in doubt, WORK MORE PROBLEMS!  If you exhaust all problems from the textbook, see the instructor who will be happy to supply more.  Remember:  this stuff should be fun!  If in itself it is not fun and challenging, then it should be some hoop that you are jumping so you may proceed with some fun stuff.  So, you should always stay motivated to learn the material.

 

       If at any time there is a question in your mind about anything, please do not hesitate to talk to the instructor.  See him immediately before or after class, if necessary, to set specific appointments.

 

Academic Honesty

 

       Each student is expected to generate graded work by an individual effort.  It is understood that some students benefit from "group study".  However, all quizzes, all mid-term examinations and the final examination will be individual efforts, using only the materials authorized by the Instructor.

 

          Any violation of this policy will be prosecuted to the full-extent possible (usually a failing grade is given on the assignment).  Please review the University Policies on Academic Honesty.