Brief description
Electromagnetism, Oscillations and Waves, which mark the pinnacle of Classical Physics, have broad applications in the modern and industrial world and also provide simple descriptors of many microscopic phenomena. This module is devoted to providing a basic understanding of the fundamental physics and to applying this to simple macroscopic and microscopic systems. These include the response of simple electronic circuits to alternating currents and the varied physical properties of dielectric, magnetic and optical materials. The course will include numerical exercises and students will cover individual and group work, writing, IT and other associated skills in conjunction with laboratory practical module and tutorials.

Learning outcomes
After taking this module students should be able to:

• Understand the basic principles of electromagnetism, oscillations and waves and apply them to simple macroscopic and microscopic systems.
• Analyse the superposition of oscillations and waves and the response of simple electronic circuits to alternating currents.
• Describe the basic principles if dielectric, magnetic and optical materials.
• Answer numerical problems on the applications of the fundamentals of electromagnetism, oscillations and waves in physical systems.

Additional learning activities
None

Outline syllabus
Electrostatics:
Coulomb's law, electric field, Gauss' law, spherical and cylindrical symmetry, electrostatics of conductors, electric potential.
Capacitors, spherical, cylindrical and plane symmetry, dielectrics, energy density of electric field.

Magnetism:
Magnetic field, Biot-Savart law, applications to circular coil, solenoid and straight wire, Ampere's law, toroidal coil.
Electromagnetic induction, Lenz' law and Faraday's law, self inductance, solenoid, energy density of magnetic field.

Current Electricity:
Kirchhoff's laws, alternating currents, series circuits, impedance, parallel circuits, admittance, Argand diagrams, complex number analysis, RCL resonant circuit.

Oscillations:
Simple harmonic motion, fundamentals, mathematical formulation, energy, examples of different oscillating systems, complex exponential notation.
Superposition, same frequency, different frequencies, beats, perpendicular vibrations, Lissajous figures.

Wave Motion:
Travelling waves, general form of wave function, harmonic waves, phase velocity, the wave equation in one dimension, applications to different physical systems, power of a harmonic wave.
Superposition of waves, interference, standing waves, nodes and antinodes, natural frequencies, wave groups and group velocity, dispersion.
Waves at interfaces, reflection and transmission coefficients.
Doppler effect for sound waves, moving source and moving observer.