Preface

Summary

This is an undergraduate textbook on the physics of electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic fields and waves. It is written mainly with the physics student in mind, although it will also be of use to students of electrical and electronic engineering. We have aimed to produce a concise text which emphasises the meaning and significance of the concepts that appear in the theory, and the overall coherence and beauty of the Maxwell equations.

The theory is set out in a self-contained way, but we assume that the reader will already have some knowledge of the basic phenomena of electricity and magnetism. (At the University of Bristol there is an established tradition of demonstration experiments in the introductory first year physics lectures.) We also assume some familiarity with the mathematics of scalar and vector fields, and the properties of the ∇ operator. The basic theorems are set out for reference in the Mathematical Prologue. The Dirac δ-function is introduced in a non-rigorous way on the first page of Chapter 1, and used freely: in our experience, physics students readily accept this as an obviously useful mathematical device. A few other mathematical tools are developed in the text, as and when they are needed. To avoid impeding the flow of the main argument, the technical details of mathematical manipulations are sometimes relegated to the problems.

The relationship between the microscopic structure of matter and the macroscopic fields which are the main concern of the text is stressed from the start, albeit from a classical standpoint.