Supplement to Griffiths E&M/Prep for Graduate E&M

[Mondayman]

Hi folks,

I'm currently working through Griffith's E&M text for school. It is my favorite subject and I am hoping to find another textbook or problem book on electrodynamics or electromagnetics. I was hoping for something at the level of Griffiths or slightly above, something that'll prepare me for the graduate-level texts I have by Jackson, Schwinger, and Landau. Preferably with a good selection of problems too.

I have the Feynman Lectures already. I was considering Schwartz, Lorraine, or Greiner. I've heard mixed things about Purcell/Morin. Does anyone have any experience with these textbooks?

Thank you,
MM

 

[Charles Link]

We used J.D. Jackson when I was in college, and it was very good. Suggestion for you though is to do a search on Physics Forums of a variety of E&M posts, where we helped different advanced students with some of their homework problems, etc. In many cases, I think we took it a step or two beyond what is often shown in a textbook. $\\$ See e.g. https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...iformly-polarized-sphere.877891/#post-5513730 $\\$ and
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/magnetic-flux-is-the-same-if-we-apply-the-biot-savart.927681/ $\\$ and
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...perature-relationship-in-ferromagnets.923380/

 

[hutchphd]

Reitz and Milford is another decent text...a bit more formal than Griffiths. I learned from Reitz as an undergrad and later taught from Griffiths. I like Griffiths better but it depends I noticed a few months ago one could get Reitz older edition for like $9 used...worth just having probably.

 

[jasonRF]

Heald and Marion is a good book between Griffiths and Jackson:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486490602/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Mondayman]

I like the idea of perusing through PF's solved problems on E&M. Perhaps I'll buy every problem book available as well.

I've discovered Shadowitz and Lorrain are at the level I need.

 

[cwill53]

I have Reitz and Milford and “Engineering Electromagnetics” by Hayt and it seems to be good.

 

[Meir Achuz]

Try this. It is on the Jackson level, but readable.
Classical Electromagnetism: Second Edition
(Dover Books on Physics) 2nd Edition
by Jerrold Franklin

 

[Mondayman]

I've noted Franklin's text as well his Solved Problems book. I intend to get them when I get to higher level E&M.

 

[jasonRF]

Heald and Marion is a good book between Griffiths and Jackson:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486490602/?tag=pfamazon01-20

By the way, Heald and Marion also has a solutions manual available from the publisher. The link is at
https://store.doverpublications.com/0486490602.html
but I can only see it from a computer - from my phone I cannot seem to get the link to show up on that page. The manual is a 26 MB pdf file, and the direct link is
https://www.doverpublications.com/solutions/490602.pdf

jason

 

[vanhees71]

I'm a bit puzzled by the demand of something "in between" Griffiths's excellent E&M undergraduate textbook and graduate-level textbooks like Jackson. I think if you have worked through Griffiths you are well prepared to read any graduate-level text on E&M.

 

[Dr_Nate]

I'm a bit puzzled by the demand of something "in between" Griffiths's excellent E&M undergraduate textbook and graduate-level textbooks like Jackson. I think if you have worked through Griffiths you are well prepared to read any graduate-level text on E&M.

I agree with this 100%.

I think that people have different ideas of what it means to work through a book though. In my opinion (and I learned this far too late) to work through a book means more than reading each chapter and trying some end-of-chapter problems. You need to be able to, with a pen and paper, work through the chapter understanding what the author is saying at each step along the way.

 

[Mondayman]

I'm a bit puzzled by the demand of something "in between" Griffiths's excellent E&M undergraduate textbook and graduate-level textbooks like Jackson. I think if you have worked through Griffiths you are well prepared to read any graduate-level text on E&M.

Griffiths has been a good textbook so far, but I like to learn from multiple resources. Having additional problems to work on is always nice too, as Griffiths does not have that many exercises.