Physics 303
Classical fields / Electrodynamics

We meet MWF 12:00-12:50 pm, in SC 006.

Catalog description:

Classical Field Theory

PHYS 303, 3 credit hours

Study of electric and magnetic fields using the formulation of Maxwell. Maxwell's equations are developed with reference to experiments followed by selected applications including wave propagation in dispersive media, and magnetic and dielectric phenomena. Prerequisites: Phys 203-204, Math 211, 213, or consent of instructor.

Professor Paul Meyer Reimer
Sci 011   ·   +1.574.535.7318 (ofc)
paulmr@goshen.edu   ·   +1.574.312.3395 (cell)

I don't have fixed office hours. You are welcome to stop by my office (SC 011) any time! Here's my teaching schedule this term,

If you are off campus and want to make sure I'm available before coming to campus You may e-mail or text me to make a time to get together.

Do not worry that you're "bothering me" when you stop by! Every time a student stops by it makes a good impression on me, and I think "Oh, they are taking charge of their own learning, and are taking the class seriously!".

Content and learning objectives

The classical theory of electric and magnetic fields is developed using vector calculus. This is the course in which you're going to use everything you learned in Calc III, and then some! Topics include dielectric and magnetic materials, Maxwell's field equations, and electromagnetic waves. Other prerequisites: Phys 203-204-General Physics I and II.

This is a 3 credit hour course. The College expectation is that you are spending 2-4 hours outside class for every hour in class for an average grade = 9-15 hrs / week.

Textbook / course materials

• Required text -- David J. Griffiths. Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd edition). Prentice Hall, 1999 (This is one edition before the current one--so that it's hopefully easier to find a cheap, used copy!)

  If you don't yet have the textbook: The front desk at Good Library should have one or two copies on reserve at the front desk to check out in the library. You can also "borrow" an online copy for free, for 2 weeks at the Internet Archive. Once you've set up an account on the Internet Archive, you can borrow it here: archive.org/details/introductiontoel00grif_0. This is not a solution for the whole semester, but might bridge until a used copy you ordered arrives.

  "International editions" are cheaper but lower quality: In one case in this class, a student was not able to make out the prime (') on a variable and as a consequence tried to solve an unsolvable problem!

• Wolfram Mathematica -- Available on GC lab computers. Getting started / reference
• Lecture notes / schedule -- Shortcut to remember: tiny.cc/fields; Best to bookmark: https://people.goshen.edu/~paulmr/physix/303/#today
• Grades -- ...and other course material on moodle.goshen.edu.

  Tip: Moodle's summary grade only takes into account non-blank grades. If you have not handed in assignments which I have not yet graded, you are in worse shape than your summary grade makes it appear.

• E-mail -- Read your ___@goshen.edu e-mail daily as I will use this as a means of class announcements outside of class time.

Grading

I may adjust this, and other portions, of the syllabus as we go along. And I'll let you know!

minimum grade outcomes:

A/A- 93%/90
B+/B/B- 87%/83/80
C+/C/C- 77%/73/70
D+/D 67%/60
F < 60%

I may adjust this scheme down a bit (e.g. 89% might end up being good enough for an A), but I certainly won't adjust it up.

Grades are intended to reflect the degree to which the content has been mastered - not the performance of one student in relation to others.

Homework / quizzes

By solving homework problems you are mastering the course content and working on your problem-solving skills.

My goal is to mostly "flip" this class. That means:

• You'll take in content ahead of class time: Reading the textbook, reading my notes and watching the occasional screencast.
• Respond to "Reading questions" (RQ) on Moodle the night before class: Answering "none" to the "muddy points" question is not an option!
• Class time: discussing questions that came up on the content and solving / starting problems. No routine going over my notes.
• Finish up problems out of class
• At the beginning of the next class, we choose a problem at random from the last class to do as a "quiz".

You may work on these problems together, alone, sometimes in-, and sometimes out-of class. You may use books and online resources to further your understanding of the problems. However, one kind of on-line resources you should treat with care: Solutions probably exist on the Internet to Griffiths' problems. It is useful to occasionally consult those. But if you find yourself turning first (or frequently) to these you are probably fooling yourself that you are mastering the material.

Exams

Two exams will be given during the course. There will be no cumulative final. (Though the second exam will assume familiarity with the material from the first.)

Some of the homework problems (or variations on them) will also show up on exams. An excellent way to study for the quizzes is to write up solutions to example problems, only checking your answer *after* you have written a solution.

Participation

Come to class prepared and ready to ask questions about readings, homework and other assignments..

The participation portion of your grade will reflect unwarranted absences (more than 2), as well as your engagement with class activities.

Attendance

Go to class! Seriously, unless you are half dead, go!

- Megan Taylor, Salem College, ’15

• Class attendance is important. Don't miss out!
• But things will come up in the rest of your full lives. You do not need to give me an excuse if you miss class once or twice.
• If you know ahead of time that you will miss a class, let me know ahead of time.
• If you find yourself struggling in class, 2 absences will be too many.
• It is always your responsibility to find out what you missed. Class notes are usually available for you to review. But you should also also ask another student who was present or ask me what you missed that may have not made it into the notes.
• For classes I teach with a lab component: Don't lightly miss any labs! Absence from labs impacts not only you, but also your lab partner who might be waiting to start / finish an activity if you don't show. If you must miss any lab time, you must communicate with both your lab instructor and your lab partner(s) ahead of class.

Beyond 2 absences I'll expect a note explaining your unavoidable absence and/or a conversation--It's best if you've intiated the conversation!--about the barriers that you're facing to attendance, so that we can brainstorm some solutions or connect with outside resources to reduce/eliminate those barriers.

Community Activities (CA)

2% of your grade in all the classes taught through the physics department is credit for your engagement in community activities. You may earn up to an additional 2% extra credit. See the Community Activities website.

Collaboration and Academic Integrity

You are encouraged to use all available resources in order to learn the concepts, skills, and content of this course.

• Talk with other students and the instructor!
• Form study and homework groups!
• Discuss with others promising approaches to problems!
• Go to the library and find books!
• Ask a librarian for help in finding resources!
• Find useful web pages!

Collaboration, and building on the works of others are how almost all academic work by professors, researchers, students, writers gets done.

However, simply copying someone else's work sabotages your own learning and hides the truth about what is your work and what is the work of others. So, it must be clear in everything you write and turn in what is your work and what is someone elses.

Academic Integrity

In this, as in any college class, you can protect yourself from charges of plagiarism by acknowledging your sources. This can take the form of the URL of a site you found useful, or a shout out to a classmate who helped you on a particular problem.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students. For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/asc.

Accessibility Accommodations

Schedule & Topics

Image credits

WileyMCB - Maya Lin's Storm King Wavefield.