- #1
HJ Farnsworth
- 128
- 1
Greetings,
I learned E&M from Griffiths, and for the most part I understood everything - I am very comfortable using Maxwell's equations, at least in the E and B form.
However, the same is not true of D and H, which I really don't understand at all. The reason that I am having trouble learning these concepts from Griffiths may be that the concepts that lead up to them are introduced in fairly quick succession, so that I have to increase the abstraction in my thinking too quickly for me to grasp each level of abstraction.
For instance, in leading to the electric displacement D, Griffiths introduces the dipole moment p on page 149, which I am fine with. However, the polarization P is introduced on page 166, the bound surface and volume charge densities σb and ρb on page 167 and 168, and the electric displacement D on page 175, and I am having difficulty grasping these concepts.
Similarly, m is encountered on page 257, M on page 262, Jb and Kb on page 264, and H on page 269.
So, although for the most part I find all of Griffiths' textbooks to be superb resources, his E&M textbook is not working for me on these particular subjects. Does anyone know of some good resources (preferably online, eg., online lecture notes. I'm not looking to buy a whole new textbook) that explain the above concepts, perhaps more slowly or with a different approach than does Griffiths?
Thanks very much for any help that you can give.
-HJ Farnsworth
I learned E&M from Griffiths, and for the most part I understood everything - I am very comfortable using Maxwell's equations, at least in the E and B form.
However, the same is not true of D and H, which I really don't understand at all. The reason that I am having trouble learning these concepts from Griffiths may be that the concepts that lead up to them are introduced in fairly quick succession, so that I have to increase the abstraction in my thinking too quickly for me to grasp each level of abstraction.
For instance, in leading to the electric displacement D, Griffiths introduces the dipole moment p on page 149, which I am fine with. However, the polarization P is introduced on page 166, the bound surface and volume charge densities σb and ρb on page 167 and 168, and the electric displacement D on page 175, and I am having difficulty grasping these concepts.
Similarly, m is encountered on page 257, M on page 262, Jb and Kb on page 264, and H on page 269.
So, although for the most part I find all of Griffiths' textbooks to be superb resources, his E&M textbook is not working for me on these particular subjects. Does anyone know of some good resources (preferably online, eg., online lecture notes. I'm not looking to buy a whole new textbook) that explain the above concepts, perhaps more slowly or with a different approach than does Griffiths?
Thanks very much for any help that you can give.
-HJ Farnsworth