Undergraduate Course: Electromagnetism (PHYS09060)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is a two-semester course, the first covering time-independent and time-dependent properties of electric and magnetic fields leading to the vector calculus formulation of Maxwell's Equations and the derivation of electro-magnetic waves in vacuo and in media. The second semester covers the electromagnetic properties of waves including propagation, polarisation, interference and diffraction with example from radio wave, optics and x-ray diffraction.
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| Course description |
Electromagnetism (20 lectures)
- Integral and differential forms of Gauss's Law. Examples of 1D, 2D, 3D charge distributions.
- Potential. Poisson's Equation. Calculation of electric fields.
- Uniqueness theorem. Solution of electrostatic problems. Method of images.
- Dipole field. Quadrupole field. Multipole expansion.
- Electrostatic boundaries. Polarisation in dielectrics. Surface charges.
- Biot-Savart Law. Magnetic vector potential. Calculation of magnetic fields.
- Integral and differential forms of Ampere's Law. Examples of 1D, 2D current distributions.
- Magnetostatic boundaries. Magnetisation. Surface currents.
- Time-varying fields. Faraday's Law. Induction.
- Calculation of self and mutual inductance.
- Displacement current. Maxwell's equations and their solution in vacuo.
- Introduction to Electromagnetic waves.
- Solution of Maxwell's equations in dielectrics.
- Continuity theorem. Conservation laws.
- Poynting vector. Energy storage & transport by waves.
Electromagnetic Waves & Optics (20 lectures)
- Reflection & transmission of waves at boundaries.
- Polarisation states. Polarisers. Malus's Law. Measurement of polarisation.
- Derivation of Fresnel Equations. Brewster's angle.
- Interference. Double slits. Newton's rings. Michelson/Twyman-Green interferometers.
- Multi-beam interference. Fabry-Perot. Anti-reflection coatings. Dielectric stacks.
- Single slit diffraction. Diffraction grating. Applications in spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction.
- Diffraction from circular aperture. Resolution limit. Aberrations.
- Dispersion of Electromagnetic waves. Ionosphere.
- Waves in conductors. Absorption. Skin depth.
- Waveguides & Cavities.
- Coherence. Lasers.
- Basic Fourier optics. Optical transfer function. Concept of spatial frequency.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 200 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 44,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 44,
Summative Assessment Hours 8,
Revision Session Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
99 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 20%
Examination 80% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Electromagnetism May Exam | 180 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Electromagnetism Aug Exam | 180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- State the integral laws of electromagnetism and state and derive Maxwell's equations.
- Formulate and solve with vector calculus problems of static and time-varying electrical and magnetic field including utilisation of the electric scalar potential and the magnetic vector potential.
- Derive and apply the concepts of: Maxwell's displacement current; the continuity equation; self- and mutual inductance; Poynting's vector; energy flux; radiation pressure.
- Define and explain: polarisation and magnetisation; the fields D, H, E and B; the relation between E, B and the force on a particle; polarisation charges and magnetisation currents; boundary conditions on fields at interfaces between media; Maxwell's equations in media.
- Derive and explain electromagnetic radiation using plane-wave solutions of Maxwell's equations; apply these to problems of intrinsic impedance, attenuation, dispersion, reflection, transmission, evanescence, and the skin effect in conductors; derive and explain total internal reflection, polarisation by reflection.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | EMag |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jamie Cole
Tel: (0131 6)50 5999
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Alexis Heeren
Tel:
Email: |
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