Syllabus
1. Coulomb's law, description using vector fields.
2. Gauss theorem, scalar potential. Electric field of different sources. Electrical energy.
3. Basic problem of electrostatics; capacity.
4. Current, continuity equation and Ohm's law.
5. Lorentz force, magnetic field. Ampere's law, vector potential.
6. Electromagnetic induction.
7. Maxwell's equations, wave equation. Energy and momentum of the field.
8. Michelson-Morley experiment; significance of the speed of light;
9. Einstein's postulates; Minkowski spacetime;
10. Lorentz transformations and their kinematic consequences; paradoxes.
11. Dynamics of a relativistic particle and its consequences.
12. Relativistic formulation of Maxwell's equations.
Annotation
From Coulomb's law through fields in electrostatics and magnetostatics, electric current and Faraday's electromagnetic induction to Maxwell's equations and their consequences. Plane wave as a solution of Maxwell's equations. Why we need the special theory of relativity. Minkowski spacetime, Lorentz transformations; relativistic particle dynamics; relativistic formulation of electromagnetic field theory. Recommended course from 2nd year of
Bachelor studies in Mathematics and Computer Science, especially for students with specialization in
Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Analysis.