PHYSICS II prof.

Elena Tresso Academic year 2014-15

PROGRAM

ELECTROSTATICS
The electric charge. The electrostatic field and the electric potential. Equipotential surfaces. The
Gauss law in vacuum. Electric fields of multiple point charges and of continuous charge
distribution. Electric fields of rings, planes, spheres and disks.
The electric dipole (potential and field in far points). Electric dipole in an external field: force,
torque and potential energy. Dielectric materials: electrical polarization. The polarization vector,
the electric displacement vector. Gauss law in dielectric materials.
The DEL operator. Gausslaw in differential and integral form.
Static electric field in the matter: conductors. Potential and field in proximity of a conductor. Sharp
points and hollow conductors.
Capacitance and capacitors. Capacitance of parallel plates, cylindrical and spherical capacitors.
Energy and work in capacitors. Energy density of the electric field. Series and parallel. Capacitors
with dielectrics.
Electric current. Electric conduction in metals. The Drude model. Current intensity and current
density. Direct current (DC). Resistance. Series and parallel. Ohms law. Resistivity and
conductivity. Electric power. Joule effect.

MAGNETOSTATICS
Magnets and magnetic fields. Magnetic poles. Magnetic field and magnetic induction. Second
Maxwells equation. Force on a charge moving in a magnetic field: Lorentzs force. The circular, the
helical and the spiraling path.
Magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor. Magnetic torque on a current loop.
Sources of magnetic field. The magnetic field of a point charge in motion. Field of a straight
current-carrying conductor: Laplaces law, and its applications. Magnetic field of a circular current
loop. Magnetic dipole. Torque on, and potential energy of, a magnetic dipole in a magnetic field.
Forces between parallel currents. Definition of the Ampre units.
Circulation of a vector. Ampres law (in integral and differential form) and its applications.
Solenoids, toroidal solenoids and Helmholtz coils.
Magnetic fields in the matter: diamagnetism, paramagnetism and ferromagnetism. Magnetic
susceptibility and permittivity. The magnetization vector, the magnetic intensity vector and the
magnetic field vector.

TIME-DEPENDENT ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS

FaradayHenryLenz law of electromagnetic induction and its applications. Third Maxwells
equation (in integral and differential form).
Magnetic induction. Induced current and Lenzs law. Motional emf. Eddy currents. Induced electric
fields. Generators. Inductance and Inductors. RL, LC and RLC Circuits. Alternated current
generators.
Energy in an R-L circuit. Energy density of the magnetic field.
The principle of charge conservation. The displacement current. Ampre-Maxwell law: fourth
Maxwells equation (in integral and differential form). Applications: time-dependent electric and
magnetic field in capacitors and solenoids
The Maxwells equations in integral and differential form, in vacuum and in the matter.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Wave equation for electric and magnetic field. The DAlembert equation. General characteristics of
a wave. The harmonic wave in 1-D and 3-D. Velocity, wavelength, period, frequency, angular
velocity, power and intensity. Phasors.
Electromagnetic waves. From Maxwell equations to DAlembert. The electromagnetic spectrum.
Propagation and attenuation of the electromagnetic waves in conductors and dielectrics. Wave
optics. The Poynting vector.
Interference, electromagnetic waves interference and its applications. Coherence.
Double slit Young experiment. Fraunhofers approximation. Phasors calculation of the intensity
distribution for 2 and for N slits. Diffraction: the basic principles; phasors calculation for the
intensity distribution for diffraction from a slit. White light experiments of interference and
diffraction.
Polarization of light: the basic principles. Brief introduction to photons.