Electricity & Magnetism

This is a 4-credit Physics course covering fundamental concepts of electricity and magnetism.

Chapter 1: Electrostatics

Main Topics Covered

1. Electric Charge Basics

   • Fundamental properties of electric charges
   • Conservation of charge
   • Quantization of charge

2. Coulomb’s Law

   • Force between two point charges: $F = k\frac{q_1q_2}{r^2}$
   • Where $k = 8.99 \times 10^9$ N·m²/C²
   • Electrostatic force vs Gravitational force (magnitude difference ~$10^{39}$ times in atoms)

3. Electric Fields

   • Definition and properties
   • Field due to point charges
   • Gauss’ Law applications

4. Electric Dipoles

   • Two opposite charges separated by distance
   • Dipole moment
   • Field and potential due to dipoles

Worked Problems

Example 1: Hydrogen Atom Forces

• Calculating electrostatic force between proton and electron
• Comparing with gravitational force
• Demonstration that electrostatic force » gravitational force

Example 2: Hanging Charged Spheres

• Problem involving charged spheres in equilibrium
• Application of Coulomb’s Law and force balance

Course Topics Overview

Main Areas:

1. Electrostatics - charges, Coulomb’s Law, electric fields, Gauss’ Law
2. Electric Potential - equipotential surfaces, potential energy
3. Capacitors - parallel plate, series/parallel, energy storage, dielectrics
4. DC Circuits - current, resistance, Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Rules, RC circuits
5. Magnetism - magnetic fields, forces, Biot-Savart Law, inductance, Faraday’s Law
6. AC Circuits - oscillations, RLC circuits, transformers, magnetic properties