Jackson's Text is not my Friend--Any E+M Text Recommendations?

Djinn

Hello Everyone,

I am a first year PhD student taking E+M. We are using, as many students do, the dear text by John David Djingleheimer Jackson. He seems like a pretty righteous dude, but I'm not feeling the textbook. Does anyone have any recommendations for supplementary texts? To give an example of a book I love: Shankar's Principles of Quantum Mechanics.

Much obliged.

-- Djinn

CompuChip

I don't have much experience with E&M textbooks, but I found Griffith's book rather instructive. I like the way he sets things up and his writing style in general.

Jackson is indeed very rigorous, and I definitely recommend reading it to tighten your grip on the material - besides it is very useful as a reference. However, I agree that for learning, you mind find some other book useful.

nicksauce

Take a look at Schwinger's E&M text. I liked it a lot from what i read.

TMM

I loved Shankar as well and found many of the same things I loved about Shankar in Griffiths. Griffiths is not as rigorous as Jackson of course, but it will prepare you well. Have you read Goldstein yet as well?

Daverz

Schwartz, Principles of Electrodynamics. I've also heard good things about Panofsky & Philips.

Djinn

Thanks to all for their recommendations, and to whoever moved the thread to the right place. I looked for a section like this, but I'm new here and I didn't find it. :^)

n!kofeyn

Electrodynamics by Fulvio Melia
This book isn't big on doing a bunch of calculations (it doesn't even have problem sets), but it does do a good job of explaining the ideas.

Landau

VanderLinde

Count Iblis

The Classical Theory of Fields by Landau and Lifshitz

Dr Transport

Look for Smythe or Stratton, either is good and I think better than Jackson.

Daverz

This only covers roughly the last third of the material in Jackson.

George Jones

I have met Jack Vanderlinde, and he told me that his intention was to write a book that covered some topics at a level somewhere between Griffiths and Jackson.

Landau

Yes, that's true. But TS asked for supplementary texts, and I think VanderLine serves this purpose well.

Pinu7

The other major comprehensive book is Schwinger.

TVP45

If you're gonna do Jackson, and like the three Stooges say, "It feels so good when you stop.", find which group of students has that file drawer of previous question attempts. You gotta do a lot of problems to love Jackson and few humans are capable of doing enough of those completelyfrom scratch.

Dr Transport

Electrodynamics of continuous media by Landau and Lifshitz covers most of what is covered in Jackson in more detail.

jasonRF

the book "classical electromagnetic radiation" by heald and marion is pretty good for the dynamics piece (not so much for statics). It is at an advanced undergrad level - above Griffiths, I would say (although Griffiths is really really good). You can get a used copy of the second edition for <$10 at Amazon.

good luck

jason