electromagnetics (electrodynamics) resources?

[Brad]

Hi,

I just finished up a book called "Electromagnetics Explained" by Ron Schmitt and
it has really wet my appetite for a deeper understanding and practical
application of electrodynamics. I finally see how an electric field is
generated by a charged particle undergoing acceleration and how an oscillation
of this charged particle back and forth produces a wiggle in the electromagnetic
field which propagates outward at the speed of light. Very cool!

I learned how an unconnected conductor (say a bar of metal) of certain length
will absorb and retransmit electromagnetic waves, efficiency based on the
electric length of the conductor. Wait a second...this could be exactly how
those anti-theft tags in the dept. store work! Very cool! Also, you possibly
could build a metal detector to only detect conductive objects of a certain
length...perhaps like 3 inch framing nails in the dirt on a construction site?

Anyway, this book has kindled a desire to learn more about electromagnetics.
Based on the recommendations in the back of this book, I ordered a $20 used copy
of the 3rd edition of Kraus's Electromagnetics (the 5th edition was $130+ new)
and a Schaum's Outline of vector calculus as a review. I had the obligatory 5
courses in calculus and a course in linear algebra way back in college, but I
believe I have forgotten almost everything. I hope *some* of it will come back.

Is this a good start to learning electromagnetics? Are there any other books I
should study before tackling the Kraus book? Am I ok with just the 3rd edition?
Are there any books on lab experiments that could be performed without a network
analyzer that would yeild a greater understanding of electrodynamics?

Thanks!

Brad

 

[Active8]

Hi,

I just finished up a book called "Electromagnetics Explained" by Ron Schmitt and
it has really wet my appetite for a deeper understanding and practical
application of electrodynamics. I finally see how an electric field is
generated by a charged particle undergoing acceleration and how an oscillation
of this charged particle back and forth produces a wiggle in the electromagnetic
field which propagates outward at the speed of light. Very cool!

I learned how an unconnected conductor (say a bar of metal) of certain length
will absorb and retransmit electromagnetic waves, efficiency based on the
electric length of the conductor. Wait a second...this could be exactly how
those anti-theft tags in the dept. store work! Very cool! Also, you possibly
could build a metal detector to only detect conductive objects of a certain
length...perhaps like 3 inch framing nails in the dirt on a construction site?

Anyway, this book has kindled a desire to learn more about electromagnetics.
Based on the recommendations in the back of this book, I ordered a $20 used copy
of the 3rd edition of Kraus's Electromagnetics (the 5th edition was $130+ new)
and a Schaum's Outline of vector calculus as a review. I had the obligatory 5
courses in calculus and a course in linear algebra way back in college, but I
believe I have forgotten almost everything. I hope *some* of it will come back.

Is this a good start to learning electromagnetics? Are there any other books I
should study before tackling the Kraus book? Am I ok with just the 3rd edition?
Are there any books on lab experiments that could be performed without a network
analyzer that would yeild a greater understanding of electrodynamics?

Thanks!

Brad

Sounds good. If you get to the point where you're lacking some math,
you can always find a website like SOS Math or Wolfram Research.

 

[Active8]

Sounds good. If you get to the point where you're lacking some math,
you can always find a website like SOS Math or Wolfram Research.

alt.math.undergraduate is another good resource.