PHYS 199 HO

Course Information: Approved for both letter and S/U grading. May be repeated.

HONORS SEMINAR: TOPICS IN ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. PREREQUISITES: PHYS 211, CONCURRENT REGISTRATION IN PHYS 212, AND CONSENT OF INSTRUCTOR. PHYS 199HO CAN BE USED TO SATISFY THE HONORS COMPONENT OF PHYS 212. Students investigate special topics in electricity and magnetism. Through weekly meetings (similar in format to the discussion sections of Physics 211 and 212), students will derive for themselves some of the surprising features of our post-classical physical world. For example, the need for special relativity, the existence of magnetic fields, and the origin of electromagnetic radiation are consequences of simple observations such as the constancy of the speed of light. Other topics will include the nature of Gauss' law and Maxwell's equations, potentials and superposition, amplifiers, analog computers, and the role of quantum mechanics in electrodynamics. PHYS 199HO is intended for students who have been comfortable with the level of difficulty of PHYS 211, and whose mat