PHYS 3741 - Electromagnetic Field Theory 1
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 02, CRN 43979,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Donald Priour
Email: djpriour@ysu.edu
Course Description
3741. Electromagnetic Field Theory 1. Intermediate theory of electric and magnetic fields. Topics include electric field, scalar potential, techniques for calculating scalar potential (method of images, Laplace's and Poisson's equations, multipole expansion, Green's Function approach), dielectrics and polarization, Maxwell's equations and their application to the propagation of electromagnetic waves including reflection, refraction, transmission, and absorption; guided waves, retarded potentials, radiating systems, special relativity. Must be taken in sequence, before PHYS 3742. Prereq.: MATH 3705 or MATH 3705H and either PHYS 2611 or ECEN 2633. 3 s.h.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Electrodynamics (any edition) | David Griffiths |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8/24 | Introductory remarks and hisorical perspectives | |
| Wed | 8/26 | Part I: Mathematical review (vector mathematics) | |
| Fri | 8/28 | Part I: Mathematical review (vector differential operators) | |
| Mon | 8/31 | Part I: Mathematical review (vector differential operators) | |
| Wed | 9/2 | Part I: Mathematical review (vector calculus integral theorems) | |
| Fri | 9/4 | Part I: The Dirac Delta function in one, two, and three dimensions | |
| Mon | 9/7 | Labor Day Recess; class not scheduled | |
| Wed | 9/9 | Part II: Coulomb's Law | |
| Fri | 9/11 | Part II: Electric field due to point charges | |
| Mon | 9/14 | Part II: Gauss's Law | |
| Wed | 9/16 | Part II: Applications of Gauss's Law | |
| Fri | 9/18 | Part II: Electric Potential of point charges and charge distributions | |
| Mon | 9/21 | Part II: Electric potential energy stored in a charge distribution | |
| Wed | 9/23 | Part II: Conductors and capacitance | |
| Fri | 9/25 | Part II: Conductors and capacitors continued | |
| Mon | 9/28 | First Midterm Examination | |
| Wed | 9/30 | Part III: Special Approaches in electrostatics (Laplace's equation and uniqueness of its solutions) | |
| Fri | 10/2 | Part III: Separation of variables to solve a partial differential equation as applied to Laplace's equation in 2D | |
| Mon | 10/5 | Part III: Separation of variables in the case of Laplace's Equation in 3D rectangular geometries | |
| Wed | 10/7 | Part III: The image charge method for flat conducting surfaces and spherical conductors | |
| Fri | 10/9 | Part III: Separation of Variables in spherical coordinates for situations with azimuthal symmetry | |
| Mon | 10/12 | Part III: Multipole Expansions | |
| Wed | 10/14 | Part III: Electric dipoles and their electric fields and electric potentials | |
| Fri | 10/16 | Part IV: Electric Fields in media (polarizability and dielectrics) | |
| Mon | 10/19 | Part IV: Bound charges of a polarized object | |
| Wed | 10/21 | Part IV: The electric displacement field and Gauss's law in a dielectric medium | |
| Fri | 10/23 | Part IV: Examples of calculations involving dielectrics, including a variant of the image charge method used in the context of flat conducting surfaces. | |
| Mon | 10/26 | Part V: Magnetostatics (magnetic fields and forces) beginning with the Biot-Savart Law | |
| Wed | 10/28 | Part V: The Biot-Savart Law and ring currents and long straight wires | |
| Fri | 10/30 | Part V: Ampere's Law and applications | |
| Mon | 11/2 | Part V: Ampere's Law and applications (continued) | |
| Wed | 11/4 | Part V: The magnetic Vector potential | |
| Fri | 11/6 | Part V: The multipole expansion in magnetostatics | |
| Mon | 11/9 | Part V: Magnetic Dipoles: the magnetic field and magnetic vector potentials of magnetic dipoles | |
| Wed | 11/11 | Class not schedules due to YSU's observance of Veteran's Day | |
| Fri | 11/13 | Part VI: Magnetic fields in media (magnetization of materials) | |
| Mon | 11/16 | Part VI: The auxiliary field | |
| Wed | 11/18 | Part VI: The counterpart of Ampere's Law for magnetized media | |
| Fri | 11/20 | Part V: Electrodynamics (The charge continuity condition) | |
| Mon | 11/23 | Part V: The microscopic version of Ohm's Law | |
| Wed | 11/25 | Part V: Instances of using the microscopic version of Ohm's Law to calculated the resistance of a macroscopic object | |
| Fri | 11/27 | Part V: Magnetic flux and Faraday induction | |
| Mon | 11/30 | Part V: Self inductance and mutual inductance | |
| Wed | 12/2 | Part V: Motivation of the modified version of Ampere's Law that yield the four Maxwell's Equations | |
| Fri | 12/4 | Part V: Further discussion of Maxwell's Equation | |
| Mon | 12/7 | Final Exam (take home) to be scheduled with the consensus of the students enrolled in the course. |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.