EM Problems

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noospace
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:14 pm

EM Problems

Post by noospace » Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:10 am

What is the best source of EM problems relevant to the GRE is your opinion?

I'm assuming based on the syllabus that a text like Griffiths is appropriate.

Would it be adviseable to attempt most of the problems in Griffiths? How about Haliday and Resnick?

From ets.org:

2. ELECTROMAGNETISM:      18%
(such as electrostatics, currents and DC circuits, magnetic fields in free space, Lorentz force, induction, Maxwell's equations and their applications, electromagnetic waves, AC circuits, magnetic and electric fields in matter)
3. OPTICS AND WAVE PHENOMENA:      9%
(such as wave properties, superposition, interference, diffraction, geometrical optics, polarization, Doppler effect)

noospace
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:14 pm

Re: EM Problems

Post by noospace » Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:14 am

Incidentally, does anyone know where to obtain answers to the problems in Griffiths or other textbooks?

swepi
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:15 pm

Re: EM Problems

Post by swepi » Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:27 am

The solutions manuals to many books float around on peer2peer networks which you can access with eMule. I also ran across solutions to problems in books like Purcell's "Electricity and Magnetism" from some course web pages at MIT. If you need anything specific, I probably have it.

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Helio
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Re: EM Problems

Post by Helio » Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:12 am

Halliday and resnik will cover you for the most part.. some details will be in griffiths

noospace
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:14 pm

Re: EM Problems

Post by noospace » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:55 am

To what extent does the GRE examine electric/magnetic fields in matter (i.e., the concepts of electric displacement D and H field).

This is not really covered in HRW.

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secander2!
Posts: 264
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:25 pm

Re: EM Problems

Post by secander2! » Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:45 am

They tend to like simple problems with two dielectric media next to each other and oftentimes they'll ask you to calculate the change in capacitance when a dielectric medium is placed between two plates. Problems involving mirror charges can also show up. In general, if you know the boundary conditions, and have a idea as to how they are applied to simple interfaces, you should be fine. Oh yea, you also might want to know how the speed of light changes in media: i.e. v_light = 1/sqrt(mu*epsilon). I think that basically covers it, but maybe somebody else remembers some things that I missed.

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coreycwgriffin
Posts: 249
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 1:28 am

Re: EM Problems

Post by coreycwgriffin » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:28 pm

I'd say if you can do most of the problems in a university physics text (like Halliday and Resnick or Young and Freedman) in the E and M sections, and you read up on some stuff in Griffith or Purcell (like image charges and some of the more complex applications of Gauss' Law) you'd be fine.



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