Stanford Root

Schedule

Stanford Root

Schedule

PHYSICS 81

Electricity and Magnetism Using Special Relativity and Vector Calculus

UNITS:4
GRADING:Letter or Credit/No Credit
LEVEL:Undergrad
GER:WAY-FR, WAY-SMA

(Third in a three-part series: PHYSICS PHYSICS 61, PHYSICS PHYSICS 71, PHYSICS PHYSICS 81.) This course recasts the foundations of electricity and magnetism in a way that will surprise, delight, and challenge students who have already encountered the subject at a college or AP level. Suitable for students contemplating a major in Physics or Engineering Physics, those interested in a rigorous treatment of physics as a foundation for other disciplines, or those curious about powerful concepts like transformations, symmetry, and conservation laws. Electrostatics and Gauss' law. Electric potential, electric field, conductors, image charges. Electric currents, DC circuits. Moving charges, magnetic field as a consequence of special relativity applied to electrostatics, Ampere's law. Solenoids, transformers, induction, AC circuits, resonance. Displacement current, Maxwell's equations. Electromagnetic waves. Throughout, we'll see the objects and theorems of vector calculus become manifest in charges, currents, and electromagnetic fields.

Syllabus for selected term:
View Spring 2027 Syllabus

Sections

1 Term
Lecture 1Open
ID: 11996
0 / 92 enrolled
DAYS:Monday, Wednesday, Friday
TIME:3 PM – 4:20 PM
LOCATION:TBD
INSTRUCTOR:
Blakemore, Chas
4units

PHYSICS 81: Electricity and Magnetism Using Special Relativity and Vector Calculus

4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-FR, WAY-SMA

(Third in a three-part series: PHYSICS 61, PHYSICS 71, PHYSICS 81.) This course recasts the foundations of electricity and magnetism in a way that will surprise, delight, and challenge students who have already encountered the subject at a college or AP level. Suitable for students contemplating a major in Physics or Engineering Physics, those interested in a rigorous treatment of physics as a foundation for other disciplines, or those curious about powerful concepts like transformations, symmetry, and conservation laws. Electrostatics and Gauss' law. Electric potential, electric field, conductors, image charges. Electric currents, DC circuits. Moving charges, magnetic field as a consequence of special relativity applied to electrostatics, Ampere's law. Solenoids, transformers, induction, AC circuits, resonance. Displacement current, Maxwell's equations. Electromagnetic waves. Throughout, we'll see the objects and theorems of vector calculus become manifest in charges, currents, and electromagnetic fields.

Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.

Spring 2027 sections

  • Lecture — Monday Wednesday Friday 3:00 PM – 4:20 PM — Blakemore, Chas (Undergrad)

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