Electricity & magnetism
Undergraduate · Physics
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Electrostatics and magnetostatics
- Coulomb's law, superposition, and electric potential
- Gauss's law in differential and integral form
- Boundary conditions at conductors and dielectrics
- Biot–Savart law and Ampère's law
- Magnetic vector potential and gauge freedom (intro)
Maxwell's equations
- Faraday's law and displacement current
- Maxwell's equations in vacuum and matter
- Energy and Poynting vector in electromagnetic fields
- Wave equation and plane wave solutions
- Polarization and reflection at interfaces
Potentials and radiation
- Lorenz gauge and retarded potentials
- Dipole radiation and Larmor formula (intro)
- Multipole expansion overview
- Waveguides and cavities (introduction)
- Relativistic covariance of electromagnetism preview
STEM / applied
RF, optics, and devices
- Transmission lines and impedance matching
- Antenna fundamentals and radiation patterns
- Optical coatings and thin-film interference
- Plasmonics and metamaterials overview
- S-parameter thinking in microwave circuits
Materials and plasmas
- Conductivity, dielectric response, and dispersion
- Skin depth and eddy currents
- Magnetohydrodynamics preview for plasmas
- Hall effect and sensor applications
- EM compatibility and shielding design
Simulation and measurement
- Finite-difference electrostatics
- Field mapping with probes and software
- Time-domain reflectometry concepts
- Comparing analytic and numeric field solutions
- Lab reports on waveguides or cavity resonances
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Electrostatics and magnetostatics
Coulomb's law, Gauss's law, and magnetostatics foundations
Coming soon - Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations, energy, and electromagnetic waves
Coming soon - Potentials and radiation
Retarded potentials, radiation, and advanced E&M topics
Coming soon
Notes
Topics reflect common upper-division physics syllabi at US colleges and universities. Prerequisites, lab pairing, and mathematical depth vary by department.