Class structure: Pre-recorded lectures for each
week are available via links
below. The live classes will consist of questions,
discussions, and problem solving.
Office hours: Online by email
appointment---generally between 10am-4pm, Tu-W-Th.
Text:Introduction to electrodynamics
by D. Griffiths, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall, 1999). If you have
a problem locating a copy of this text, please email me.
Learning outcomes: Students will be able to
describe the laws of classical electrodynamics and to
apply them, using techniques from the theory of linear
partial differential equations, to a variety of physical
systems, including electrostatics and magnetostatics
problems.
Content: This course aims to introduce you to
classical electrodynamics which is a classical relativistic
field theory and the conceptual and mathematical framework and
foundation for most of modern physics. This course should
be your second course in electrodynamics (after
a semester introduction in, e.g., a first year physics
course). We will emphasize both developing a conceptual
understanding of, as well as a practical calculational
facility for dealing with electrodynamics problems.
Readings: About a dozen reading assignments per
semester (detailed in the schedule below). Reading
the text and watching the pre-recorded lectures in advance is essential. I will assume that you
have already read the assigned material for each class
meeting, and will focus in class on discussion, questions,
and problem solving. Come to class prepared with
questions from the reading and pre-recorded lectures!
Problem sets: About 8 problem sets per
semester (linked in the schedule below). Completed problem
sets are to be emailed to me by midnight of the due date.
Solutions will be made available online the next day, so no
late homeworks will be accepted. Problem sets
should be written up individually; see the paragraph below
about the course (and university) policies on academic
misconduct (ie, cheating or enabling cheating).
Note on how to submit problem set solutions:
Type/scan/photograph your problem set solution and save
and it as a single clearly legible pdf file of
reasonable size (less than 1MB/page), then
email it to me. That way I will be able to write comments
on it and return it to you.
Note on collaborating: I strongly encourage
collaboration, an essential skill in science and
engineering. Find partners and work together: you will
learn a lot, and it will save you time. But limit
yourself to verbal help: do not take written
information from others and try not to take written notes when
you talk to others. Think things through independently
after you get help. If you do well on homework and poorly
on exams, you are probably getting "too much" help.
Exams: three timed "in class" written exams per
semester (details in the schedule below). The only
materials you can use during exams will be one page (2
sides) of notes of your own devising.
Grades:Problem sets will
count for about half of your grade. Each problem in a
problem set is worth one point unless otherwise indicated.
In general, no credit will be given for a correct answer,
unless accompanied by a derivation or explanation. Exams
will count for the remaining half of the course grade. All
exams are of equal weight. In the unusual case of an (at
most, single) excused absence from an exam, I'll use an
average of your other exams. I will assign course grades
according to the percentage of the course material
mastered as follows: A+ = 95% - 100% (stellar), A = 90% -
95% (excellent), A- = 85% - 90% (very good), B's = 70% -
85% (good), C's = 60% - 70% (fair), D's = 50% - 60%
(poor), F = 0% - 50% (fail).
Accessibility, religious accommodation, and
academic misconduct policies
Students with disabilities have the right to full and
equal access at the University of Cincinnati. The
Accessibility Resources office will work with you and
your instructors to identify accommodations to ensure an
equitable opportunity to meet all requirements for your
course.
Ohio law and University policy permits a student, upon
request, to be absent for reasons of faith or religious or
spiritual belief system or participate in organized
activities conducted under the auspices of a religious
denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual
organization and/or to receive alternative accommodations
with regard to examinations and other course requirements
due to an absence permitted for the above-described reasons.
Not later than fourteen days after the first day of
instruction in the course, a student should provide the
instructor with written notice (an email) of the specific dates for
which the student requests alternative accommodations.
If it is determined that some or all of the work on a
problem set or exam is the result of academic misconduct,
the problem set or exam will be given a grade of 0 points.
You should be clear on
what constitutes academic misconduct. Note, for
example, that if you allow a fellow student to borrow your
problem set solutions and he or she then copies a problem
solution from it, then you have engaged in academic
misconduct.
Whether or not academic misconduct has occurred will be
determined following the
university procedures. In particular, this means that
I will officially report all instances of academic
misconduct. While the investigation into whether
or not a student has engaged in academic misconduct is
underway, the student's course grade will be recorded as
"incomplete". The college hearing panel may decide to impose
further disciplinary sanctions, up to and including
dismissal from the university, as detailed in the university
procedures linked above.
Schedule of readings, recorded lectures, homework
assignments, and exams:
(This schedule is a work in progress, so will be subject to
frequent changes. After the problem set due date I will post the solutions in place of the problem set. You may have to refresh the page to see the solutions. Also, if a link doesn't work, it probably
means I'm still working on it...)