Physics 110B

Physics 110B follows Physics 110A to provide more knowledge about electromagnetism.

Overview

Physics 110B focuses on radiation. The familiar electric and magnetic fields can be thought to arise from scalar and vector potential functions which introduce the fancy-sounding concept of a “gauge theory.” On this note, the class segues into a more rigorous exploration of special relativity in a way that reveals the deeper geometrical interpretation of the theory. The course also discusses some applications of electromagnetism.

Prerequisites

Physics 5A, Physics 5B, and Physics 5C or Physics 7A, Physics 7B, and Physics 7C, and Physics 110A.

Student Comments

“This course is offered every semester. This course will generally follow Griffiths chapters 9 – 12. However, in chapter 9 (EM waves), Griffiths only considers transverse waves and not longitudinal. Depending on the professor, they may discuss both longitudinal and transverse modes in media, which they might refer to some texts aimed at the graduate level like Jackson or Zangwill to fill the gaps in that Griffiths left out. Depending on the professor’s interests / research, certain topics may be emphasized more than others. For instance, if the course was taught from a condensed matter perspective, in that special relativity, 4-vectors, covariant notation will be introduced but not emphasized, whereas various aspects of light and matter interaction will be emphasized more.” – Stephen Ebert, physics alumnus