In the following link is the plan for the homework problem covering the entire semester in case you want to plan ahead. It also contains the important information about the sections of each chapter that we will study.

 

Full list of homework problems

 

 

More specifically, this is the information of the homework problems, week by week:

 

Week 1: 1. Jackson 1.4

              2. Jackson 1.6, only (a), (b), and (c).

              3. Show that Eq. (1.17) (page 35, top) satisfies the Poisson equation by following

                  the “a-potential” procedure  described on page 35. This problem illustrates

                  how to carry out rigorous mathematical proofs in the E&M context, where the

                  singular function 1/|x-x’| appears often in the calculation.

 

Week 2:  1. Jackson 2.1, only (a), (b), (c), and (d). In (a), just make a plot by hand.

               2. Jackson 2.2, only (a) and (b).

               3. Jackson 2.7, only (a) and (b). This is the only problem about Green functions

                   that we will have in the homework, thus make sure you understand how

                   to deal with these functions.

 

Week 3:  In 1,2,3 below (obviously!) you have to provide more detail than in the  book:

               1. Show that Eq.(2.11) is correct, starting at Eq.(2.10)

               2. Show that Eq.(2.14) is correct, starting at Eq.(2.12).

               3. Show that Eq.(2.22) is correct, starting at Eq.(2.19).

                     4. Jackson 2.23, only (a)  (this is the only “new” problem)

 

Week 4: 1. Jackson 3.1. No need to do the checks b -> infinity and a -> 0.

              2. Show that Eq. (3.36) of Sec.3.3 is correct, starting with the general formula Eq. (3.35).

                  Arriving to the first two terms of Eq. (3.36) is sufficient.

              3. Jackson 3.9.

 

Week 5:   1, Jackson 4.1, only part (b).

                2. Jackson 4.7, only part (a).

 

Week 6:   no homework this week, because of first mid-term exam

 

Week 7:   1. Jackson 5.3.

                2. Jackson 5.6.

                3. Starting with Eq. (5.14) in the book, derive in detail Eq. (5.22).

                4. Starting with Eq. (5.10) in the book, show that for two long, parallel,

                   straight wires, carrying currents I1 and I2, the force is attractive (repulsive)

                   if the currents flow in the same (opposite) directions.

 

Week 8:   1. Jackson 5.13.

                2. Jackson 5.19. In (b), plot just by hand for a generic L/a. The important

                    point is to see if Bz and Hz are or not continuous at the interface.

                3. Do the math that I skipped in a lecture: show that taking the curl of

                    Eq. (5.55) you do get Eq. (5.56).

 

Week 9:   1. Following the steps in the book pages 210 and 211, show that (5.141)

                    is correct starting with (5.136), namely show that k=1. This equation

                    includes the case in which the surface S is changing with time (not

                    covered in class).

                2. Show that the time-averaged power input per unit volume is given

                    by (5.169), starting with the expressions for the current and electric

                    field a few lines above.

                3. This one is about the mathematics of Chapter 6. Show that the current

                    J can be written as the sum of the longitudinal current and the transverse

                    Current given by (6.27) and (6.28).

 

Week 10:  1. In class, I explained (or tried to explain) problem “Example 15” of

                     Griffiths (page 324, second edition; or page 348, third edition). This

                     is about a current flowing down a wire and the calculation aims

                     to find the energy per unit time delivered to the wire using the

                     Poynting vector. Repeat carefully the solution of the problem as in

                     Griffiths, plus discuss the relation with Equation (7.7) of the same

                     book where the same result “VI” is obtained by a more canonical

                     procedure.

                  2. Jackson 6.5, part (a) only.

                  3. Jackson 6.11, part (a) only.

                  4. Following the steps in Griffiths, solve Example 8.2 where a charged

                      sphere is considered and the force on the northern hemisphere       

                      caused by the southern hemisphere is calculated. In the third edition

                      of the book this example is in page 353, and the equation that you

                      are asked to show that it is correct is Eq.(8.27).

 

Week 11:    For the time being, just one problem since I am aiming to having

                   the second  mid-term exam this coming week. The problem is:

 

                   1. Jackson 7.2, part (b) only. Two interfaces, have fun!

 

Week 12:    1. Jackson 7.3 (a)

                   2. Jackson 7.4 (a)

 

Week 13:    1. Jackson 9.3

                   2. Jackson 9.16, part (a) only.

 

                    That was the last homework of the semester!!