640-225 Electromagnetism & Relativity- Advanced

Note

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Physics 640-121 + 640-122 or 640-141 + 640-142; Mathematics 620-123 or 620-113 or 620-143; Mathematics 620-231.

(For subjects completed prior to 1998, the Mathematics and Statistics departmental code 620- should be replaced by the superseded Mathematics departmental code 618-)

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject is in two parts. (i) One half provides an introduction to Maxwell's equations in differential form. This subject will show how Maxwell's equations provide a unified understanding of electrical, magnetic and optical phenomena; how they can be applied to simple problems, including those involving dielectric and magnetic media; how they play a key role in a wide range of science and engineering. Content includes: Scalar and vector potentials; Dielectric and magnetic materials: field vectors P, D, M, H; Boundary conditions for field vectors; Magnetic circuits; Energy density of electric and magnetic fields; Simple boundary value problems; Electromagnetic waves: in vacuum and simple dielectrics, wave equations, Poynting's vector. (ii) The other half develops Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. The difficulties faced by physics at the end of the 19th century and the revolution that was necessary in our concepts of motion, space, time and mass will be explained. Applications to phenomena involving high speed particles will be addressed. Topics include: inertial frames; Einstein's postulates; Lorentz transformations; modifications to kinematics and Newtonian mechanics; causality and the speed of light as the limiting speed; four-vector formulation; spacetime interval; high energy collisions; equivalence of mass and energy; experimental tests; physical introduction to the Equivalence Principle and General Relativity.

Assessment

A 3-hour end-of-semester written examination plus tests and/or assignments, set during the semester, which may account for up to 20% of the final marks.

Prescribed Texts

• Cheng D K, Field and Wave Electromagnetics. 2nd ed. Addison-Wesley 1989. Taylor E F and Wheeler J A Spacetime Physics 2nd Ed., Freeman.