Syllabus for Phys 302/Elec 206

Koç University, Fall 2020

Title of the Course: Electromagnetism

Instructor: Ali Mostafazadeh (Office: Sci.154; Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 16:00-17:00)

Textbook: “Introduction to Electrodynamics,” D. J. Griffiths, 4th Edition (Pearson, 2013)

Website: http://portal.ku.edu.tr/~amostafazadeh/Phys302/Phys302_2020F/phys302.htm

Topics to be covered: Review of vector calculus; electrostatics, Gauss' law, Poisson's equation, dielectric materials, electrostatic energy, boundary-value problems; magnetostatics, law of Biot and Savart, Ampere's law, magnetic forces and materials, magnetic energy; electromagnetic induction; Faraday's law; Maxwell's equations.

Objective: This course aims at providing the student with a working knowledge of electrostatics and magnetostatics as well as an introduction to Maxwell’s formulation of electrodynamics. It is an indispensable prerequisite further study of classical electrodynamics and its applications.

Evaluation method: Students’ progress will be evaluated according to their performance in homework assignments (10%), six quizzes (60%), and a final exam (30%). If a student fails the course and takes the remedial exam, his/her grade in this exam will be substituted for his/her grade in the final exam and his letter grade will be determined accordingly.

Eligibility to take the final exam: In order to become eligible to take the final exam, a student should take at least three of the quizzes and his/her average grade in quizzes should not be below 30 out of 100.

Attendance & Bonus: If a student attends 30+n lectures, a total of n bonus points will be added to his/her grade in the final exam. No bonus points will be added to the remedial exam grades.

Policy for Homework Assignments: Homework papers should be uploaded to Blackboard before the due date. No late homework papers will be accepted. If the assistant decides that a solution to a homework problem has been copied from a solution manual or is someone else’s work, the student will receive a zero in that homework assignment. The students who object to this decision will be invited to record a video problem session in which they solve all the problems in that homework set. The student’s grade in this homework set will then be decided by the TA based on his/her performance in this problem session.

Make-ups & Remedial Exams: If a student misses a quiz and has a valid excuse, his (her) grade in the final exam will be substituted for the grade in the missed quiz(zes). If (s)he also misses the final exam, (s)he will be given zero in the quiz(zes) that (s)he has missed regardless of whether (s)he has a valid excuse or not. If a student misses the final exam and has a valid excuse, (s)he will be given a make-up exam. Students who fail the course but have a chance of passing it by scoring 100 points in the remedial exam will be allowed to take this exam.

Auditing Students: In order to get an AU, a student must attend at least 30 lectures.

Suggested Method of Study: Students are advised to study the subjects covered in class immediately after the lectures. Reading the lecture notes and the book is necessary for grasping the subject, but it is by no means sufficient. Students must try to reproduce the derivations of the results covered in class on their own. They are expected to spend an average of three hours per week on studying the material covered in class in addition to the time spent on homework assignments.