In Week 1 you will gain an overview of the main topics to be covered in this course and the approach that will be taken to the combined study of Electrodynamics and Special Relativity.
The basic notation to be used in a consistent fashion throughout the entire course will be defined in the context of Electrostatics.
General features of the solutions to Laplace's equation will be discussed.
In addition, we shall start our discussion of the fact that the potentials and fields produced by moving charge particles propagate at the speed of light, which is finite. This fact is at the root of many of the aspects in which this course in Electrodynamics deviates from and extends your previous courses in Electromagnetism. As an informal introduction to some of the weird and wonderful consequences of the finite speed of light we shall consider: "The appearance of objects moving at close to the speed of light".
There are two interactive sessions each week: in the Simon lecture theatre A (Monday) and Stopford lecture theatre 1 (Wednesday).
This week there are four pre-recorded mini-lectures, with associated small exercises and lecture notes provided.
N.B. The live lecture on Monday of week 1 covers essentially the same material as the pre-recorded Mini-Lecture 0. If you attend Monday's live lecture you do not need to look at the pre-recorded Mini-Lecture 0.
N.B. I shall make explicitly clear in the summary page for each week of the course which mini-lectures are "duplicated" by a live lecture and, if appropriate, which mini-lectures need to be followed on-line, because the corresponding material is not covered in a live lecture.
N.B. In the first three weeks of this course there will be quite a few mini-lectures to follow online. However, the material not covered in interactive sessions can very largely be regarded as revision of the topics from your previous courses in in Electromagnetism and Special Relativity that are most relevant for this course in Electrodynamics.
N.B. The revision material presented in Mini-Lectures 1, 2 and 3 will not be covered in a live lecture. Therefore you should follow Mini-Lectures 1, 2 and 3 online.
In particular, please make sure you have followed Mini-Lecture 3 online before the Monday lecture in week 2!
⚬ Monday 15:00-16:00 - Live lecture - Course overview and introducing some basic notation.
This live lecture covers approximately the same material as Mini-Lecture 0.
Lecture 0 Podcast ............. Written notes
⚬ Wednesday 9:00-10:00 - Interactive/informal live lecture: "The appearance of objects moving at close to the speed of light".
This lecture is "extra-curricular" in the sense that you will not be asked an exam question about the appearance of objects moving at close to the speed of light. However, the ideas discussed illustrate many of the same phenomena that arise when we discuss the "retarded" potentials and fields produced by moving charged particles.
Podcast ............. Notes written to visualiser
The website containing the animations used in the lecture can be found at: https://www.spacetimetravel.org/bewegung/
By clicking on the links given below you will be able to access the video of each mini-lecture, together with the associated small exercises and lecture notes.
Hint: I'd suggest having the "Lecture notes" file open whilst you watch the video.
Mini-Lecture 0: Introduction and Overview
Video ............. Lecture notes
Two Mini-Lectures Introducing the Basic Notation to be Used in a Consistent Fashion Throughout the Course in the Context of Electrostatics.
Mini-Lecture 1: Electrostatics (part 1)
N.B. The revision material presented in Mini-Lecture 1 will not be covered in a live lecture. Therefore you should follow Mini-Lecture 1 online.
Video ............. Lecture notes written to visualiser ............. Exercises from mini-lecture ............. Answers
Mini-Lecture 2: Electrostatics (part 2)N.B. The revision material presented in Mini-Lecture 2 will not be covered in a live lecture. Therefore you should follow Mini-Lecture 2 online.
Video ............. Lecture notes written to visualiser ............. Exercise from mini-lecture ............. Answers
Mini-Lecture 3: Solutions to Laplace's Equation (general results)
N.B. The revision material presented in Mini-Lecture 3 will not be covered in a live lecture. Therefore you should follow Mini-Lecture 3 online.
Video ............. Lecture notes written to visualiser ............. Exercises from mini-lecture ............. Answers
Mini-Lectures 1 and 2: Introduction to Electrostatics
Mini-Lecture 3: Solutions to Laplace's Equation (general results)
By way of getting an idea of the basic mathematical tools we shall be using it might be useful to take a quick look at:
A summary of useful formulae concerning vector calculus, coordinate systems, etc. (from D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics.)
Vector Calculus
D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics: Chapter 1.
Electrostatics
D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics: Chapter 2.
Solutions to Laplace's equation
It would be very useful to revise the sections on Laplace's equation, separation of variables, and Legendre polynonmials from your second year course `Maths of Fields and Waves (PHYS20701)'
D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics: Chapter 3.
N.B. The book by Griffiths also has many problems that would form useful revision exercises.
Vector Calculus
Please take a look at these Exercises: Revision of vector calculus
In solving these problems you may find the following very brief preliminary remarks on using index notation for vector calculus useful. In addition, here is a somewhat more extensive introduction to using index notation for vector calculus by John Crimaldi of University of Colorado, Boulder.
Multipole Expansions in Electrostatics
D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics: Chapter 3.4.
Magnetostatics
D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics: Chapter 5.1, 5.2, 5.3.