The Outsider's Inside View post#025 - counting out time

Message boards : SETI@home Staff Blog : The Outsider's Inside View post#025 - counting out time

Author	Message
KevinDouglasPhD Project scientist Send message Joined: 6 Feb 06 Posts: 107 Credit: 23,981 RAC: 0	Message 601093 - Posted: 9 Jul 2007, 22:33:30 UTC
	Today feels so much like a Friday, since last Wednesday was a holiday and I've been at work every day since. Yesterday I was up here while my car was supposedly getting new tires, but the garage had to wait until this morning to get a full set of the tires I wanted. Now I have some beautiful new treads for my upcoming 12,000-km road trip, which starts next Saturday. I've been trying to pick out a good textbook for one of the courses I'm going to teach at UBCO. It's a second-year intermediate E&M course, so there's some E&M theory but nothing heavy on vector calculus like Griffiths' Intro to Electrodynamics. Lots of 1st-yr texts cover the E/M theory and basic circuit theory quite well, but it would be good to find something a little more sophisticated. Any suggestions? Something that mixes theory and practical applications well. The other two courses I'll teach are 1st-yr physics and 1st-yr astronomy, so I'll have quite a lot of students. Oh, anyone in the Bay Area who is looking to buy some slightly used furniture for a real good price can contact me.
	ID: 601093 ·

KB7RZF Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 15 Aug 99 Posts: 9427 Credit: 2,100,180 RAC: 4,738	Message 601122 - Posted: 9 Jul 2007, 23:30:40 UTC - in response to Message 601093.
	Wow Kevin, the days are just flying by aren't they?? LOL Glad you got some new tread for that long trip. Your job sounds very interesting, wish I knew more about them myself. For that matter, wish I had the money to go to college, was going to as soon as I got out of high school, but surgeries on my leg stopped me, then being out on my own really put a damper on things. LOL One day, I'll get there. :-) Thanks again for the updates, I hope you'll still find time to come here and post and keep us up to date on how your doing and how things are. Take care. Jeremy ____________
	ID: 601122 ·

PhonAcq Send message Joined: 14 Apr 01 Posts: 1620 Credit: 20,884,081 RAC: 4,739	Message 601126 - Posted: 9 Jul 2007, 23:45:23 UTC
	Textbook: Look at the book by Wangness. It may fit your expected needs. I tried 3 textbooks over my sophomore E&M teaching years and Wangness beat the others (including Griffiths) handsdown from the student's feedback; and mine as I recall. Griffiths is the pits.
	ID: 601126 ·

Dr. C.E.T.I. Send message Joined: 29 Feb 00 Posts: 15969 Credit: 625,669 RAC: 239	Message 601213 - Posted: 10 Jul 2007, 4:36:36 UTC
	Congratulations on your work Sir - and have a Safe and Wonderful Trip Again - Thanks for the Updates too . . . ____________ BOINC Wiki . . . Science Status Page . . .
	ID: 601213 ·

KevinDouglasPhD Project scientist Send message Joined: 6 Feb 06 Posts: 107 Credit: 23,981 RAC: 0	Message 601832 - Posted: 11 Jul 2007, 16:32:13 UTC - in response to Message 601126.
	Textbook: Look at the book by Wangness. It may fit your expected needs. I tried 3 textbooks over my sophomore E&M teaching years and Wangness beat the others (including Griffiths) handsdown from the student's feedback; and mine as I recall. Griffiths is the pits. Thanks PhonAcq for that recommendation. I'd looked at that one, and went back to look at it again after you suggested it. Not enough on circuits, and a little too much on propagation of waves. But I agree it's a good text. I think there are slightly different curriculum paths between US and Canadian universities. A lot of 2nd-yr E&M courses in the US dive right into stuff that requires vector calculus - Berkeley is a perfect example with Purcell's book. In Canada, at least from the universities I'm familiar with, "classical" E&M in all its calculus-laden glory is taught in 3rd & 4th years, from texts like Griffiths and/or Jackson.
	ID: 601832 ·

Es99 Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 23 Aug 05 Posts: 7339 Credit: 211,364 RAC: 248	Message 606458 - Posted: 20 Jul 2007, 13:29:56 UTC
	We used this one: Electromagnetism but i no longer have a copy as my ex took all the physics books when he left...so I can't actually remember how good it was. I think our lecturers preferred to use their own notes mostly. We also used Ohanian which had a bit of everything in it and of course the Feynman lectures. ____________ In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. - Douglas Adams
	ID: 606458 ·

Dr. C.E.T.I. Send message Joined: 29 Feb 00 Posts: 15969 Credit: 625,669 RAC: 239	Message 606467 - Posted: 20 Jul 2007, 13:51:23 UTC - in response to Message 606458. Last modified: 20 Jul 2007, 13:53:26 UTC
	We used this one: Electromagnetism but i no longer have a copy as my ex took all the physics books when he left...so I can't actually remember how good it was. I think our lecturers preferred to use their own notes mostly. We also used Ohanian which had a bit of everything in it and of course the Feynman lectures. rEally good onE 'K' . . . Table of Contents Force and Energy in Electrostatics. Dielectrics. Electrostatic Field Calculations. Steady Currents and Magnetic Fields. Magnetic Materials. Electromagnetic Induction and Magnetic Energy. Alternating Currents and Transients. Linear Circuits. Transmission Lines. Maxwell's Equations. Electromagnetic Waves. Waveguides. The Generator of Electromagnetic Waves. Electromagnetism and Special Relativity. Appendices. Solutions to Problems. Further Reading. Index. [off topic - 4 a moment] i remember - when i was younger - there was a 'Prize' out there for the "Definition" of 'Electricity' and as well for 'Gravity' . . . [baCk on topic - Thanks]
	ID: 606467 ·

William Roeder Volunteer tester Send message Joined: 19 May 99 Posts: 68 Credit: 512,943 RAC: 311	Message 606491 - Posted: 20 Jul 2007, 14:37:49 UTC - in response to Message 606467.
	[off topic - 4 a moment] i remember - when i was younger - there was a 'Prize' out there for the "Definition" of 'Electricity' and as well for 'Gravity' . . . [baCk on topic - Thanks] When I see a hot woman - that's Electricity When I see a 400 lb woman - that's Gravity ____________
	ID: 606491 ·

Dr. C.E.T.I. Send message Joined: 29 Feb 00 Posts: 15969 Credit: 625,669 RAC: 239	Message 606520 - Posted: 20 Jul 2007, 15:20:09 UTC - in response to Message 606491. Last modified: 20 Jul 2007, 15:20:37 UTC
	[off topic - 4 a moment] i remember - when i was younger - there was a 'Prize' out there for the "Definition" of 'Electricity' and as well for 'Gravity' . . . [baCk on topic - Thanks] When I see a hot woman - that's Electricity When I see a 400 lb woman - that's Gravity OH mi god . . .!!! ;)
	ID: 606520 ·

Message boards : SETI@home Staff Blog : The Outsider's Inside View post#025 - counting out time