Foundations of Electromagnetics

The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental science underlying the existence, propagation, and transmission of electromagnetic waves, based on Maxwell’s equations. It explains the scientific principles that have enabled one of humanity’s most transformative technological achievements, wireless communication, through the propagation of electromagnetic waves governed by Maxwell’s four equations.

The course also explores how the discovery of electromagnetism revolutionized the ability to transmit information and energy without relying on mechanical means. By studying the foundations of electromagnetic wave behavior, students will gain insight into the scientific breakthroughs that have shaped modern communication and sensing technologies.

This course serves as a foundational component of several engineering disciplines, including electrical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, and radar engineering, among others.

The course starts with an overview of vector calculus and touches upon the other preliminary math required for the course. The course then cover electrostatics and magnetostatics. Students will explore the principles and equations governing electric and magnetic fields and their interactions. The key topics include electrostatics, electric potential, magnetostatics, electromagnetic induction, time varying fields, Maxwells’ equations and uniform plane wave  propagation. Special emphasis will be on the mathematical techniques used to describe electromagnetic phenomena, including vector calculus and differential equations.

By the end of this course, each student will have had the opportunity to:

• Understand the principles and equations governing electric and magnetic fields and their interactions.
• Utilize vector calculus and differential equations to solve problems related to electric and magnetic fields
• Apply Coulomb's Law, Gauss's Law, Ampere's Law, and Biot-Savart Law to analyse static electric and magnetic fields
• Apply Faraday’s Law of induction to solve problems related to electromagnetic induction
• Derive and solve Maxwell's equations in both integral and differential forms to describe electromagnetic phenomena.
• Analyse the propagation of electromagnetic waves in free space

After completing this course, students should be able to

• Demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of electromagnetism.
• Apply vector calculus and differential equations to solve complex problems related to electric and magnetic fields.
• Analyse electrostatic fields using Coulomb's Law and Gauss's Law, and magnetostatic fields using Ampere's Law and Biot-Savart Law.
• Utilize Faraday’s Law of induction to solve problems involving electromagnetic induction
• Formulate and solve Maxwell's equations in both integral and differential forms to describe electromagnetic fields
• Analyse the propagation of electromagnetic waves in free space

• Introduction to Electrodynamics, David J. Griffiths, 4^th Edition, Cambridge University press
• Electricity and Magnetism, E.M, Purcell, David J. Morin, 3^rd Edition, Cambridge University Press
• Engineering Electromagnetics, William H. Hayt, John A Buck, 9^th Edition, McGraw Hill Education