Intro Physics Is there a freshman dedicated EM book other than Purcell?

[Frabjous]

Is there a freshman dedicated EM book other than Purcell? I am not interested in the standard combo texts or Feynman.

 

[Omega0]

What is so bad about Feynman? Yeah well, it is not enough for studying EM... I mean an EM book without solving PDEs, boundary value problems... but I like it. The must have is of course the Jackson. It is the MTW (gravitation) for EM - but not an easy read and impossible to read in a semster (again, like MTW). It is more something you have in your shelf and if you need something you will find it.

What I very much like are - given by the fact that I am German - Nolting, but I checked that it is 100$ or so which is too much in my eyes. I get it cheaper.

Another German author which writes amazing books about theoretical physics is Florian Scheck, "Classical Field Theory: On Electrodynamics, Non-Abelian Gauge Theories and Gravitation". Here again a little warning: It goes like even the first book about mechanics very deep (in the mechanics book he introduces differentiable manifolds etc.) Every book I would say is awesome but it is really hardcore.

Nevertheless, why not something cheaper from a nobel prize laureate? Melvin Schwartz, "Principles of Electrodynamics"? About 20 bucks? I love so much how he is introducing tensors and there representation. As far as I remember something like "if you had a transformation of the coordinate system it doesn't mean your equations are easy...", very pleasant, I won't forget that.

Well, there may be way better suiting books for you. I don't know what you expect. What I clearly can say that Feynman is awesome but not enough for even a bachelor in physics (German universities, but I am sure it is the same for lots of other countries). More math is needed.

 

[Mondayman]

If Purcell is too much, I would start with a simpler book such as University Physics.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I am not interested in the standard combo texts

Well, you could always get Halliday and Resnick Volume 2.

 

[jasonRF]

How much math do you know? And will this be the first time you are learning electromagnetism?

 

[Frabjous]

Assuming a background in differential and integral calculus, I am interested in a text for a first year undergrad with the stated restrictions.

 

[jasonRF]

I’m probably not familiar with every option, but If you only know single variable calculus I would recommend the standard books (Halliday or similar) that you seem to not want. Would you care to tell us why you are not interested in a standard text?

The only thing I can think of that might fit the bill are one or more volumes of ‘Six ideas that shaped physics’ by Moore. But I have only flipped through them so don’t know how good they are.

otherwise, the stand-alone books I am familiar with are written for ‘honors’ type courses, so aren’t the best for most students.

jason

 

[Frabjous]

the stand-alone books I am familiar with are written for ‘honors’ type courses, so aren’t the best for most students.

Please name these books.

 

[Mondayman]

I will say that the earlier editions of Halliday-Resnick, titled Physics, are much better than the modern editions.

 

[andresB]

Assuming a background in differential and integral calculus, I am interested in a text for a first year undergrad with the stated restrictions.

I took my first EM course using Alonso & Finn Vol 2.

 

[Mondayman]

I took my first EM course using Alonso & Finn Vol 2.

I should have mentioned this one. I think I refrain from it because it seems hard to get.

 

[jasonRF]

Please name these books.

Purcell has one; the 2nd edition was the text when I took honors physics. I don’t recommend it if you haven’t already learned the physics out of Halliday or something similar, know basic special relativity, and if you aren’t already familiar with vector calculus. I had not and it was brutal, even with a great TA. So I think you are wise to look elsewhere.

Walecka has one that I have only flipped through. Not sure if it is better or worse than Purcell, but it seemed at a similar level.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/9813273100/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Finally, Lorrain and Corson have an intro book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0716720965/?tag=pfamazon01-20
Not to be confused with their upper-division book. I have a copy of the first edition and think that it certainly has much more interesting problems than most other books. But I’m not sure how easy it would be to learn from from as a first exposure to the subject. It teaches vector calculus along the way, but overall is at a little lower level than Purcell.

edit: I still think most of us would do best if we start with Halliday and Resnick or some similar level book for a first look at the subject.

jason

 

[Frabjous]

Thank you.

 

[jasonRF]

You never told us why you don’t want a standard combo text. Could you please explain?

 

[Frabjous]

I have nothing against them, but I already know what they are and was looking for refs I did not know.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

There one by Kipp: Fundamentals of Electricity and Magnetism.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070853819/?tag=pfamazon01-20