Course content

Electrostatics: Coulomb's law. Electric field and force. Gauss' law. Electric potential and energy. Conductors. Capacitance. Dielectrics. Magnetostatics: Magnetic field, force, moment and energy. Magnetic dipole. Biot-Savart's law. Ampere's law. Magnetic flux. Magnetic materials. Electromagnetic induction: Faraday's law. Lenz' law. Inductance. Simple electric circuits. Experimental methods: Measuring physical quantities. Data acquisition. Interpretation. Documentation

Learning outcome

The student is expected to: 1. Obtain, through a combined theoretical and experimental approach to the subject, a fundamental understanding of electromagnetic phenomena. 2. Learn how to analyze various problems in electromagnetism with mathematical methods involving vectors and elementary differential and integral calculus. 3. Gain experience in analyzing problems within electromagnetism with ICT based methods. 4. Learn experimental methods in physics.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, compulsory laboratory exercises and compulsory calculation exercises. 2/3 of the calculation exercises and all of the laboratory exercises must be fulfilled. A compulsory lab report counts 10% of the final grade. The re-sit examination (in August) may be changed from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

• 8 of 12 Calculation exercises
• All Laboratory exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic physics from upper secondary school, and TFY4145 Mechanical Physics. Mathematics corresponding to TMA4100. In addition, TMA4105 and TMA4115 is taken in parallel with TFY4155.

Course materials

Young & Freedman: University Physics; or Lillestøl, Hunderi, Lien: Generell fysikk, Bind 2: Varmelære og elektromagnetisme. Alternative literature: Griffiths: Introduction to electrodynamics; Tipler & Mosca: Volume 2: Electricity and magnetism; and others.

Credit reductions