PHYS 610; Mathematical Methods; Fall 2024

PHYS 622; Electromagnetism; Winter 2025

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.

Overview, and Expected Learning Outcome

PHYS 610 is designed to teach mathematical concepts and methods that are useful in physics in general, and in the theory of classical electromagnetism in particular. 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. PHYS 622 covers basic notions and simple applications of classical electrodynamics. Successful completion of the second quarter will result in knowledge of Maxwell's equations as well as their static and simple dynamic solutions.

The two quarters will be taught as one contiguous course; if you contemplate taking 622 without having taken 610 please talk to me first.

Time and Location:

MW 14:00 - 15:50 in 318 WIL
Speaking of time, here is the official time from NIST

Lecture Notes :

Here is a typeset version of the Lecture Notes for PHYS 610 . Please note the following comments and disclaimers:
- The notes are now in pretty good shape. If you notice any problems, please let me know.
- We will not have time to cover everything that's in the notes.
- I will not work off of these notes, but rather use a handwritten version that's close, but not identical, and may change as we go along.
- 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.
- Anybody else's lecture notes, including the lecturer's, are next to useless unless you have your own set written by YOU.
  This goes for textbooks as well. The public version of my notes is only meant as a record of my blackboard art to check against.

Here are the typeset notes for 622. They are still a work in progress, please check regularly for updates.
A table of contents in html format is here , with links to a (not quite up-to-date) version of my handwritten notes.

Instructor:

Dietrich Belitz
email:
phone: upon request
office: 459 Willamette
office hours:
- real: I'll try to keep an open office policy. Catch me before or after class if possible; otherwise, just stop by my office. If I'm really busy I'll kick you out, but usually I'll be able to accommodate you if I'm in. If your schedule and mine turn out to never overlap, send email and make an appointment.
- virtual: Anytime. My e-mail response time is rarely longer than a few hours, and usually it is much shorter. If desirable, we can set up a zoom session.

TA:

Paul Andreini
office: The sofa outside of 271 WIL
email: pra@you-know-where
office hours: Fri 1:30 - 2:30

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:
- 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 Exam can be found here

instructions

here

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:

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. Find and look at them at your own peril.

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.

Problem Sets for PHYS 622

Problem Assignment #1: 1/08/2025, due 1/15/2025 Solutions
Problem Assignment #2: 1/15/2025, due 1/22/2025 Solutions
Problem Assignment #3: 1/22/2025, due 1/29/2025 Solutions
Problem Assignment #4: 1/29/2025, due 2/05/2025 Solutions
Problem Assignment #5: 2/05/2025, due 2/12/2025 (this assignment doubles as the Midterm Exam)

For Assignments #6 - #9, see the problems as formulated in the typeset notes

Problem Assignment #6: 2/12/2025, due 2/19/2025: Problems 1.3.2, 2.2.2, 2.2.4, 2.3.1 a) - d)
Problem Assignment #7: 2/19/2025, due 2/26/2025: Problems 2.3.1 e), 2.3.2, 2.3.5, 2.3.6

Dietrich Belitz
Department of Physics
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
USA