PHYS 610; Mathematical Methods; Fall 2020

PHYS 622,3; Classical Electrodynamics; Winter, Spring 2021

This page and its links contain all of the general information you need for the course, and they will be updated frequently. Please check this page regularly, and make sure you hit your browser's `Reload' button so you get the latest version.

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Before you read on, please take note of the university's Covid-related policy (not relevant for 622, which will be purely remote):

The University of Oregon (UO), in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Oregon Health Authority, and Lane County Public Health requires faculty, staff, students, visitors, and vendors across all UO locations to use face coverings, which include masks (note: masks with exhaust valves are discouraged), cloth face coverings, or face shields, when in UO owned, leased, or controlled buildings. This includes classrooms. Please correctly wear a suitable face covering during class. Students unable to wear face coverings can work with the Accessible Education Center to find a reasonable accommodation. Students refusing to wear a face covering will be asked to leave the class.

Students should maintain 6 ft. distance from others at all times. Classrooms tables and seats have been marked to accommodate this distance. Please do not move any furniture in the classroom or sit in areas that have been blocked off or otherwise marked as unavailable.

Students should obtain wipes available outside of classrooms before they enter class and use them to wipe down the table and seat they will use.

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Overview, and Expected Learning Outcome

This first quarter of the year-long sequence is designed to teach mathematical concepts and methods that are useful in physics in general, and in the theory of classical electromagnetism in particular. The second quarter covers basic notions and simple applications of classical electrodynamics. Successful completion of the first quarter will result in knowledge of simple algebraic structures that frequently appear in physics, and of basic concepts and methods in analysis. Successful completion of the second quarter will result in knowledge of Maxwell's equations as well as their static and simple dynamic solutions. Successful completion of the third quarter will result in knowledge of electromagnetic radiation.

Logistical Information

PHYS 610 will be taught in a hybrid format, consisting of an in-person version that will take place on campus (with appropriate safety measures in place) and an online version that will consist of a videotape of the lectures. The alotted lecture time will be less than usual to allow for social distancing on the way to and from classes. As a result, we may skip or gloss over some material in class, which will then be assigned for self study.

PHYS 622,3 will taught entirely remotely. Lectures will be recorded for asynchronous viewing.

Time and Location:

• 610 In-person version: TH 12:15 - 13:45 in 100 WIL
  610 Zoom version: If you have signed up for the course you will receive a zoom invitation by email around noon
  610 online version: Lecture 9/29/20, Lecture 10/1/20, Lecture 10/6/20 , Lecture 10/8/20 , Lecture 10/13/20 , Lecture 10/15/20 , Lecture 10/20/20 , Lecture 10/22/20 , Lecture 10/27/20 , Lecture 10/29/20 Lecture 11/03/2020 , Lecture 11/05/2020 , Lecture 11/10/2020 , Lecture 11/12/2020 , Lecture 11/17/2020 , Lecture 11/19/2020 , Lecture 11/24/2020 , Lecture 12/1/2020 , Lecture 12/3/2020

  622 In-person version: Cancelled
  622 Synchronous Zoom version: W 14:00 - 15:30, F 14:15 - 15:45
  622 online version: Lecture 01/06/2021 , Lecture 01/08/2021 , Lecture 01/13/2021 , Lecture 01/15/2021 , Lecture 01/20/2021 , Lecture 01/22/2021 , Lecture 01/27/2021 , Lecture 01/29/2021 , Lecture 02/03/2021 , Lecture 02/05/2021 , Lecture 02/10/2021 , Lecture 02/12/2021 , Lecture 02/17/2021 , Lecture 02/19/2021 , Lecture 02/24/2021 , Lecture 02/26/2021 , Lecture 03/03/2021 , Lecture 03/05/2021 , Lecture 03/10/2021 , Lecture 03/12/2021

  623 Synchronous Zoom version: TH 12:15 - 13:45
  623 online version: Lecture 3/30/2021 , Lecture 04/01/2021 , Lecture 04/06/2021 , Lecture 04/08/2021 , Lecture 04/13/2021 , Lecture 04/15/2021 , Lecture 04/20/2021 , Lecture 04/22/2021 , Lecture 04/27/2021 , Midterm Discussion Session 04/29/2021 , Lecture 05/04/2021 , Lecture 05/06/2021 , Lecture 05/11/2021 , Lecture 05/13/2021 , Lecture 05/18/2021 , Lecture 05/20/2021 , Lecture 05/25/2021 , Lecture 05/27/2021 , Lecture 06/01/2021 , Lecture 06/03/2021

• Speaking of time, here is the official time from NIST

Lecture Notes :

• The table of contents for 610 may be updated as the course proceeds. The links are to a scanned version of my handwritten notes that you may find hard to read. I will write everything I say on the board, so if you take good notes then by the end of the term you'll have your own set of my lecture notes. Typeset notes for the first part of 610 are here . These notes are still a work in progress and will be updated as we go along. I hope to get the second part typeset by the time we get there, but I'm not sure that's realistic.

• The tentative table of contents for 622,3 is here, with links to a version of my handwritten notes. Typeset notes for an earlier version of the course are here .

  More generally, keep in mind that anybody else's lecture notes, including the lecturer's, are next to useless unless you have your own set taken by YOU. This goes for textbooks as well. My notes are only meant as a record of my blackboard art to check against.

Instructor:

• Dietrich Belitz
• email:
• phone: upon request
• office: 459 Willamette (for what it's worth)
• office hours:
  • real: Suspended through at least Winter 2021
  • virtual: anytime. My e-mail response time is rarely longer than a few hours, and usually it is much shorter.

TA:

• Tom Bouley
• email: tbouley@you-know-where
• office hours: remotely by email appointment

Textbooks and other helpful material:

• Recommended texts:

  These are books that I used heavily in preparing the lecture notes. They are NOT required, and my lectures are designed to be self-contained. They all are excellent reference texts, but make sure you really like a book before you buy it. If you find some other books more useful for background reading or reference, by all means use those.

  Recommended books for 610:

  • B.L. van der Waerden , Algebra, Vol. I , Springer (New York 1991)
  • V.I. Smirnov , A Course of Higher Mathematics, Vol. 5 , Pergamon (New York 1964)
  • M.J. Lighthill , Introduction to Fourier Analysis and Generalized Functions

  Recommended books for 622,3:

  • L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz , The Classical Theory of Fields
  • J. Schwinger et al. Classical Electrodynamics

• Other useful books:
  • C.M. Bender and S.A. Orszag , Advanced Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers
  • R. Courant and D. Hilbert , Methods of Mathematical Physics
  • P. Dennery and A. Krzywicki , Mathematics for Physicists
  • L.E. Elsgolc , Calculus of Variations
  • J.D. Jackson , Classical Electrodynamics
  • C. Lanzcos , in Handbook of Physics , E.U. Condon and H. Odishaw (eds.), McGraw-Hill (New York 1958), p. 1-111 through 1-122.
  • F.E. Low , Classical Field Theory
  • P.M. Morse and H. Feshbach , Methods of Theoretical Physics
  • F.W.J. Olver et al, , NIST Handbook of Mathematical Functions
  • D.E Soper , Classical Field Theory

Exams and Grading

Midterm 610: take-home, see homework assignments
Final 610: take-home, see homework assignments
Midterm 622: take-home, see homework assignments
Final 622: Time-limited take-home. Read the instructions FIRST, BEFORE you decide when to open the Final 622
Midterm 623: Probem 4.1.2 on Homework Assignment #12 will serve as a take-home midterm.
Final 623: Time-limited take-home. Read the instructions FIRST, BEFORE you decide when to open the Final 623

Homework will count for 20% of the grade. Your grade will thus be mostly based on the exams, but it will be next to impossible to do well on the exams unless you have spent a lot of time and effort on the homework problems. If your performance on the final is better than on the midterm, the midterm will not count and the final will count 80%. If your performance on the midterm is better than on the final, the midterm will count for 30% of the grade and the final for 50%.

Homework:

Homework problems will be posted on this page in pdf format (see below). They will be assigned weekly on Thursday and will be due the following Thursday. Email a scan of your solutions before class on the due dates to
• Tom Bouley (tbouley@you-know-where)
You will receive your score by email.

I will post scans of my solutions, also in pdf format.

Don't be fooled by the 20% weight given to the homework. The homework problems are an integral part of the course, and spending substantial time on the homework will be essential for understanding the material discussed in class. One can learn very little physics by just reading a book, or listening to lectures, so make sure you allow adequate time for doing the homework problems. Also, doing well on the exam will be next to impossible without a thorough understanding of the homework problems.

Note: Of course I know that the solutions to most of my homework problems can be found on the web. But hey, this is graduate school; if you want to kid yourself, go ahead.

Collaborating on the homework is okay, and even encouraged. You should make sure, however, that you really understand the material yourself rather than just tagging along.

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Problem Sets for PHYS 610

Problem Assignment #1: 10/01/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #2: 10/08/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #3: 10/15/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #4: 10/22/2020, past due, Solutions
Take-Home Midterm: 10/22/2020, due 11/05/2019 (Please read the instructions)
Problem Assignment #5: 10/29/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #6: 11/05/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #7: 11/12/2019, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #8: 11/19/2020, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #9: 11/24/2020, past due, Solutions
Take-Home Final: 12/06/2020, due 12/09/2020 5pm PST (Please read the emailed instructions)


Problem Sets for PHYS 622, 623

Problem Assignment #1: 01/08/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #2: 01/15/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #3: 01/22/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #4: 01/29/2021, past due, Solutions
Takehome Midterm / Problem Assignment #5: 01/29/2021, due 02/12/2021 ( See Instructions! )
Problem Assignment #6: 02/12/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #7: 02/19/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #8: 02/26/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #9: 03/05/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #10: 04/01/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #11: 04/08/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #12: 04/15/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #13: 04/22/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #14: 04/29/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #15: 05/06/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #16: We'll skip this one in order to decompress things a bit
Problem Assignment #17: 05/20/2021, past due, Solutions
Problem Assignment #18: 05/27/2021, past due, Solutions

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last update 6/3/2021
Dietrich Belitz
Department of Physics
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
USA