Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory (4th Edition)

• Cover Type: Paperback with 630 pages
• Published by: Addison Wesley
• Edition: 4th Edition May 19, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0321581741
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0321581747
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 2.4 pounds

This revision is an update of a classic text that has been the standard electricity and magnetism text for close to forty years. The fourth edition contains more worked examples, a new design and new problems. Vector Analysis, Electrostatistics, Solution of Electrostatic Problems, The Electrostatic Field in Dielectric Media, Microscopic Theory of Dielectrics, Electrostatic Energy, Electric Current, The Magnetic Field of Steady Currents, Magnetic Properties of Matter, Microscopic Theory of Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, Magnetic Energy, Slowly Varying Currents, Physics of Plasmas, Electromagnetic Properties of Superconductors, Maxwell's Equations, Propagation of Monochromatic, Monochromatic Waves in Bounded Regions, Dispersion and Oscillating Fields in Dispersive Media, The Emission of Radiation, Electrodynamics, The Special Theory of Relativity. Intended for those interested in learning the basics of standard electricity and magnetism.


About The Author

John R. Reitz (Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1949) was a member of the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory from 1949 to 1954, and a consultant to the Lab until 1964. He was a faculty member of Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) from 1954 to 1965 and was appointed Professor of Physics in 1960. From 1965 to 1987 he was Manager of the physics department at Ford Motor Company. Currently he is a consultant in physics and educational software.

Dr. Reitz has written approximately 50 scientific papers in the fields of solid state physics, magnetohydrodynamics, energy conversion, and applications of electromagnetic theory. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory (4th Edition) (Hardcover) This text covers several topics that other books tend to overlook, making it a frequent choice for undergraduate courses. However, the effectiveness of the book is dependent primarily on the quality of the counterpart teacher, as the book is quite difficult to understand on its own. Many of the proofs in the book omit the most difficult and complicated steps, which are above the level of an undergraduate to be able to work on their own. Also, the book chooses to rigorously prove certain Electromagnetic properties while completely omitting other while still assuming that the reader has a full knowledge of both. As a reference, this book also falls short in that, in the fourth edition at least, most of the important constants and equations are left scattered throughout the text and not included in the summaries. Also, many of the fundamental mathematical tools are not presented in their entirety and instead rely on the completion of the problems at the end of the chapters. While this is good in that it motivates the student to do the calculations themselves, it offers no recourse to a student who has made a mistake in any problem or who lacks a preexisting intuitive knowledge of the material.