Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Volume 2

There are four forces in our universe. Two act only at the very smallest scales and one only at the very biggest. For everything inbetween, there is electromagnetism. The theory of electromagnetism is described by four gloriously simple and beautiful vector calculus equations known as the Maxwell equations. These are the first genuinely fundamental equations that we meet in our physics education and they survive, essentially unchanged, in our best modern theories of physics. They also serve as a blueprint for what subsequent laws of physics look like. This textbook takes us on a tour of the Maxwell equations and their many solutions. It starts with the basics of electric and magnetic phenomena and explains how their unification results in waves that we call light. It then describes more advanced topics such as superconductors, monopoles, radiation, and electromagnetism in matter. The book concludes with a detailed review of the mathematics of vector calculus. Read more