Hardcore Electrodynamics Class

In summary, The speaker is curious about how their school's E&M-I class compares to others. They started with Special Relativity and then went into Vectors. Instead of learning gradients, curls, and divergence(s), they learned tensors. The required textbook is Ohanian's Classical Electrodynamics, but the lecture notes are closer to the Landau book. The speaker enjoys the class and wonders if it is unusual for a first class in E&M to be taught using Tensors. They believe it is efficient for preparing for theoretical physics in grad school. Another speaker shares their experience with E&M courses at their university, where there is an introductory course in year 1, a course using Griffiths in year 2, and a course using
  • #1
RocketSurgery
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I'm just kind of curious how our school's E&M-I class compares to others because it seems like we are learning things at an advanced level (very fun though it can be intense).

We started the year off with Special Relativity then went into Vectors; nothing weird yet. Then instead of doing things like gradients, curls, and divergence(s) we learned the ins and outs of tensors (not as in depth as a math class on it I guess but pretty in depth considering we spent basically a 1/4 of the semester learning all math and no physics).

The required textbook is technically Ohanian's Classical Electrodynamics and the professor recommended us to get Laundau (Vol2) and Feynman Lectures. Since I was interested anyway I got the supplemental books. Much to my surprise our lecture notes are closer to the Landau book then to our actual required book.

This isn't a complaint or anything; far from it actually. This class has been a blast so far but I'm just wondering how this fits into the scheme of things. Is it unusual for a first class in E&M to be taught using Tensors? and if so why? It is sort of harder to do then if we just used standard vector calculus but it seems efficient in the long run as far as getting set up for theoretical physics in grad school.
 
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  • #2
I think an introduction course that is at the level of Landau is pretty rare. Are you serious about this being a first class? I don't think I wouldn't have understood anything from Landau if hadn't seen the basics first (electrostatics, magnetic fields, maxwell equations in vector calculus form, etc.).
At our university we have an introduction course (half semester) at the level of University Physics (Freedman), very basic, in year 1. Then there is a second course (1 semester) using Griffiths in year 2. Finally, in year 3 there is a course called Classical Field Theory, using Landau Vol. 2. It was a very exciting course, I found the covariant formulation of EM really beautiful. So I guess you are lucky :)
 
  • #3
Landau said:
I think an introduction course that is at the level of Landau is pretty rare. Are you serious about this being a first class? I don't think I wouldn't have understood anything from Landau if hadn't seen the basics first (electrostatics, magnetic fields, maxwell equations in vector calculus form, etc.).
At our university we have an introduction course (half semester) at the level of University Physics (Freedman), very basic, in year 1. Then there is a second course (1 semester) using Griffiths in year 2. Finally, in year 3 there is a course called Classical Field Theory, using Landau Vol. 2. It was a very exciting course, I found the covariant formulation of EM really beautiful. So I guess you are lucky :)

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Yeah I Swear. I mean we haven't done any E&M yet. As of last class we just derived Maxwell's Equations and I think we will be studying the actual physics now. When I said 1st course I meant 1st course in EM outside of Freshman year (sorry for the confusion). We used the same book you did for freshman and normally for the class I'm in now the professor would use Griffiths but last minute switched to Ohanian's book (with the Landau Supplement). It's not the professor's fault for this change but I think another professor was supposed to teach it and he chose the Ohanian book or something like that.

We learned all about the tensor stuff (covariant, contravariant) how the del operator changes and stuff like that. So I'm guessing the vector calc formulation comes out of like a special case of the tensor formulations but I think this way isn't bad that we're learning it in. Mostly due to the fact that you can see the excitement the professor has for the subject. It's easily my favorite class (albeit challenging). Before his class the highest math I had was Multivariable Calc and Linear Algebra but I learned the tensors much faster because I could see how amazing the formulations were for the physics (talk about Motivation!). I haven't felt such motivation for physics since I first learned about Relativity on the Discovery/History channel back in 10th grade and never thought i'd be able to comprehend all the tensor math they were talking about. ^_^ You can see I've acquired my professor's enthusiasm. Must be contagious!
 
  • #4
I'm in the second half of the second year and we just started introductory electricity and magnetism. Our book is the one of Resnick-Halliday for a part of the course and Purcell's book for most of it. In this introductory course I'll see the 4 Maxwell's equations and the laboratory part of the course consists of a lot of things to do with the osciloscope.
So far I haven't touched tensors.

Next semester (3rd year) I'll start the formal EM course, which is one year long. The book is the one of Jackson and the suggested ones are a lot, including Landau's one.

I must precise that here the bachelor degree is 5 years lengthy.
 

What is "Hardcore Electrodynamics Class"?

"Hardcore Electrodynamics Class" is an advanced course in physics that focuses on the study of electricity and magnetism. It covers topics such as Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves, and electric and magnetic fields.

What are the prerequisites for taking this class?

The prerequisites for "Hardcore Electrodynamics Class" typically include a strong foundation in calculus, mechanics, and introductory physics courses like electromagnetism and quantum mechanics.

What can I expect to learn in this class?

In this class, you will learn about the fundamental principles of electromagnetism, including electric and magnetic fields, Faraday's law, and Gauss's law. You will also learn how to apply these principles to real-world problems and phenomena.

What are the main challenges of this class?

The main challenges of "Hardcore Electrodynamics Class" include understanding and applying the complex mathematical concepts and equations involved in electromagnetism. It also requires a strong background in physics and an ability to think critically and creatively.

What are some potential career paths for someone who has taken this class?

After taking "Hardcore Electrodynamics Class," you may pursue a career as a research scientist, engineer, or professor in fields such as optics, telecommunications, aerospace, or materials science. This class also provides a strong foundation for graduate studies in physics or related fields.

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