Undergraduate Electromagnetics Research Articles

Design tactics in curriculum development: Examples from the Paradigms in Physics ring cycle

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Curriculum Development: Theory into Design.] A level of curricular design, called design tactics, is identified to fill a gap in the research literature between the broad principles that guide curriculum development and the detailed writing of specific activities and lessons. The use of design tactics is illustrated with a case study using a sequence from middle-division undergraduate electromagnetism, the ring cycle, developed as part of the Paradigms in Physics project at Oregon State University. A retrospective analysis of the curriculum development process identified ten design tactics, related to content, sensemaking, and classroom practice. Further analysis of secondary implementations at DePaul University and California State University San Marcos illustrates how design tactics can also be used to make adaptations to local settings and contexts. Design tactics can serve as a productive bridge between higher-level design principles and activity development.Received 9 July 2019Accepted 7 February 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020145Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasConcepts & principlesInstructional materials developmentInstructional strategiesPhysics Education Research

An experimental lab to enhance undergraduate electromagnetics education

Electromagnetic field theory is a required part of the undergraduate electrical engineering curriculum. This material is taught in either one or two semester courses, encompassing concepts related to static and time-varying fields. These classes often focus on Maxwell’s equations and application of mathematical tools required for problem solving. Simulation and visualization tools are often used to enhance student understanding of field distributions and wave propagation. However, hands-on experiences have the potential to deepen understanding and emphasize connections between theory and real-world applications. As RF and microwave equipment is expensive, it is difficult to sustainably outfit laboratories for large undergraduate classes. In this paper, we describe a low-cost, hands-on experimental lab that involves students designing and implementing an antenna. This lab is designed to reinforce concepts related to wave propagation. This work adds to the few papers in the literature reporting incorporation of innovative and low-cost experiments into the undergraduate electromagnetics curriculum.

Electricity and Magnetism (3rd ed.) by E Purcell and D Morin

This book is an excellent updated introduction to this classic 50 year old text for 1st and 2nd year undergraduate electromagnetism. Starting from the basic concept of electronic charge and building in neat sequential units, from electrostatics, through current and into magnetism, it provides an excellent introduction to Maxwell’s equations.

Geometrical Approach to Vector Analysis in Electromagnetics Education

A geometrical approach to teaching and learning vector calculus and analysis as applied to electromagnetic fields is proposed for junior-level undergraduate electromagnetics education. For undergraduate students, electromagnetics is typically the most challenging subject in the Electrical Engineering curriculum, and the most challenging component of the subject is the application of vector analysis to electromagnetic field theory and problem solving. According to the geometrical approach, the students are taught to “read” the figure and to “translate” this to equations at all times throughout the computation or derivation, instead of their “crunching” the formulas and numbers without even visualizing the structure. In performing vector manipulations, integrals, and derivatives, the students are taught to always deal with real geometrical entities and quantities (arrows, lengths, angles, points, lines, surfaces, volumes, etc.). They learn to “translate” the geometry and the electromagnetic physics attached to it into mathematical models (equations and symbolic or numerical values) using “first mathematical principles” instead of just “black-box” formulas as a computer would do. As opposed to the traditional formal algebraic approach to vector analysis in electromagnetics, which is very general but also very abstract and dry, the geometrical approach is problem-dependent but also much more intuitive and visual, and as such can do a great deal to increase students' understanding and appreciation of vector analysis and its application to electromagnetic theory and problem solving. This is confirmed by preliminary class testing and assessment of student learning, success, and satisfaction in the courses Electromagnetic Fields I and II at Colorado State University.

Lorentz contraction and current-carrying wires

The force between two parallel current-carrying wires is investigated in the rest frames of the ions and the electrons. A straightforward Lorentz transformation shows that what appears as a purely magnetostatic force in the ion frame appears as a combined magnetostatic and electrostatic force in the electron frame. The derivation makes use of a reasonably well-known problem of a charged particle moving parallel to a current-carrying wire, which is often used to illustrate that what appears as a purely electrostatic force in one frame appears as a purely magnetostatic force in another. This paper, aimed at undergraduate electromagnetism and special relativity courses, serves to dispel the notion that this makes either the electrostatic or the magnetostatic force redundant.

Space physics and the teaching of undergraduate electromagnetism

Space physics is not a subject typically found in the undergraduate curriculum, and it is rare even at the graduate level. On the other hand, the basis of space physics is electromagnetism and the motion of charged particles, which are common topics in both the introductory and advanced undergraduate physics curriculum, and examples from space physics can be used to enliven instruction. In this paper, I will discuss various topics commonly found in both introductory and upper-division electricity and magnetism classes where examples from space physics may facilitate student understanding or provide interesting, real-life examples of electromagnetism in action.

Modeling corneal transparency

The mammalian cornea is very nearly transparent to light, a fact that is not obvious from its structure. The explanation lies with the degree of coherence in the scattering of light as it passes through the cornea. This article analyzes this explanation with an approach based on undergraduate electromagnetism concepts.

From Maxwell to Einstein: introducing the time-dilation property of special relativity in undergraduate electromagnetics

This paper demonstrates how one of the consequences of special relativity can be easily introduced in an undergraduate engineering course on electromagnetics. The paper begins with a historical account of how Maxwell's electromagnetic theory eventually led to the theory of special relativity. One of the fundamental consequences of special relativity - namely, the time-dilation property - is then demonstrated using only simple kinematics and the most basic tenets of observational electromagnetics: Gauss's Law, Ampere's Law, and the Lorentz force equation. The worked-out example that is presented herein has been specifically tailored for students of electromagnetic engineering by avoiding the mathematical formalisms typically encountered when discussing the physics of special relativity. The degree of difficulty of the derivation, and the notation that is chosen, are typical of those that would be found in an introductory course on electromagnetic engineering

A MATLAB-Based Virtual Laboratory for Teaching Introductory Quasi-Stationary Electromagnetics

This work reports the realization of a MATLAB-based electromagnetic-fields virtual laboratory, and experimentation in the teaching of undergraduate Introductory Electromagnetics courses. The choice of the developing environment is discussed in the light of authoring issues and user advantages. The virtual laboratory is described in terms of its functionalities, and a selection of examples is illustrated, showing its actual didactic use. The software architecture produced, including the Web interface, is briefly described and the possible extensions or different uses of the environment realized discussed. The positive response from students in a two-year classroom experience is reported, and future developments are outlined.

Understanding and measuring circular polarization

Many modern satellite and terrestrial point-to-point communications systems use circular polarization (CP) wave propagation in order to maximize the polarization efficiency component of the link budget. Therefore, in an undergraduate electromagnetics syllabus, an introduction to the topic of circular polarization is necessary to promote an understanding of the propagation aspects of modern communications system design. Students new to the antennas and propagation discipline often have difficulty in grasping the concept of CP; therefore, in this paper, the essential aspects of this topic are reinforced by a tutorial description of CP in terms of wave propagation, antenna properties, and measurement techniques. A simple laboratory-based project is described that requires the design, fabrication, and measurement of a crossed dipole antenna. The measured input impedance and radiation patterns are correlated with theory to highlight the conditions necessary to support CP wave propagation. By combining basic electromagnetic concepts with a series of simple intuitive laboratory experiments, the students can more easily visualize, and hence understand, CP wave propagation and its use in communications systems design.

Why study electromagnetics: the first unit in an undergraduate electromagnetics course

Maxwell's equations represent a fundamental unification of electric and magnetic fields, predicting electromagnetic wave phenomena. It may seem a little odd to devote so much effort to study solutions of the 19th century's best equations. Thus we ask the question: "Of what relevance is the study of electromagnetics to our modem society? "The goal of this unit is to help answer this question. Whereas the study of electromagnetics has been motivated in the past primarily by the requirements of military defense, the entire field is shifting rapidly toward important commercial applications in high-speed communications and computing that touch everyone in their daily lives. Ultimately, this will favorably impact the economic well-being of nations as well as their military security.

Symbolic computation with Maple V for undergraduate electromagnetics

Although symbolic analysis has been successfully used as an educational tool for mathematics, circuits, signals and systems courses, its value in electrical engineering education is still a controversial issue. The paper presents the use of symbolic computation in electromagnetics, where the complexity of the involved mathematics often prevents the students from understanding the underlying physical aspects. The educational strategy the authors propose is complementary to the numerical approach. It is based on actual symbolic calculation of electromagnetic field, not just on field visualization. An example of a Maple V worksheet dedicated to the computation of magnetic field with the Biot-Savart-Laplace method (BSL) is presented. The worksheet contains a theoretical introduction, 8 solved problems (equations, text and plots) and 12 proposed projects. After going through several solved problems, the students are asked to make changes in the worksheet and to discuss the results. They are finally required to conceive their own worksheets for solving new proposed problems, using the BSL worksheet as a model. Their experience shows that the symbolic computation has an outstanding educational potential not only in mathematics, circuits and systems, but also in electromagnetics.

System-level microwave design projects

The teaching laboratory can be an invaluable component of an undergraduate electromagnetics curriculum. This goal of this article is to illustrate several simple but effective microwave-design laboratory projects, involving both system- and component-level design experiences, based upon radar and wireless communications applications. The projects highlighted include a Doppler radar, a simple synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and wireless links using amplitude and frequency-modulation schemes. Students use modern computer-aided design (CAD) tools, coupled with planar technology.

Undergraduate electromagnetics laboratory: An invaluable part of the learning process

A newly developed pair of undergraduate courses in applied electromagnetics (EM) has succeeded in transforming student attitudes towards EM from dread and avoidance to acceptance and appreciation. One concrete measure of this change is in the enrolment figures in follow-up courses in microwave circuits and microwave propagation-within one year, the enrolments have doubled in one of them and just about tripled in the other one. The new EM courses incorporate an integrative approach towards teaching EM phenomena; this includes a new text, a large number of class demonstrations, and a laboratory component consisting of nine laboratory exercises and a final team project. This paper focuses on design and content of the instructional laboratory and learning contribution it provides.

Windows computer laboratory as a tutorial for undergraduate electromagnetics

AbstractContents and implementation of a computer laboratory for undergraduate electromagnetics are described. The laboratory consists of four 3‐hour sessions covering vector calculus, Maxwell's equations (integral and differential forms), wave propagation in materials, and wave behavior at planar interfaces. Each session contains theory (in the Help file), animations (where relevant) and a quiz. The program runs on IBM compatible 486‐based PCs in a Windows environment and uses the Borland C++ 4.0 compiler.

Integration of the personal computer into undergraduate electromagnetics courses

AbstractThis article describes the integration of personal computer (PC) use into the academic program in electromagnetics within electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. The specific approach found to be successful in a curriculum that requires students to have their own PC is presented. The associated principles are general and can be applied to any engineering instructional program.

Interactive software for undergraduate electromagnetics

To demonstrate the relationship between physical reality and the equations used in electromagnetics, the authors have created interactive software using Mathematica with its notebook capability. The software is composed of different notebooks, each covering a specific topic, which are collectively called EM Notebooks. The notebooks are used in a workstation laboratory of 12 NeXT computers in conjunction with two required junior-level courses in electromagnetics. Each notebook consists of text, equations, and graphics. The equations are Mathematica commands that are used to evaluate electromagnetic formulas found in a typical undergraduate electromagnetics textbook. Equation parameters can be changed by a student permitting examination of an unlimited number of examples. In addition, much of the graphics can be animated. The animations provide a pedagogic tool unavailable in traditional textbooks. EM Notebooks must be used on a computer that runs Mathematica with the notebook facility. >

Teaching electromagnetics around the world: a survey

Thirteen respondents describe the mechanics and reflect on the environment of teaching electromagnetics in their respective countries. A brief description of the survey by F.J. Rosenbaum is followed by the 13 individual presentations, whose titles are: undergraduate EM teaching at the University of New South Wales; teaching electromagnetism to undergraduates in Belgium: teaching electromagnetics to undergraduates in Brazilian universities; electromagnetism to undergraduates in China; teaching electromagnetics in Egypt and Saudi Arabia; a view of teaching electromagnetism to undergraduates in Karlsruhe, FRG; teaching of electromagnetism at III, Bombay, India; electromagnetic engineering education in Israel; teaching undergraduate electromagnetics in the Soviet Union; and teaching antennas and propagation to undergraduates-a UK view.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Fields that are always dynamic (electromagnetism)

An approach to undergraduate electromagnetics is outlined that differs from the traditional sequence of statics followed by electrodynamics. The purpose is to capture student interest while teaching relatively simple fields by relating the topics to electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic device examples. This is done by addressing electrostatics and magnetostatics as quasistatics, so that the fields are always dynamic. A side benefit is that electro and magneto-quasistatic (EQS and MQS) fields can be more easily realized and measured than static fields, allowing for a wealth of lecture demonstrations, some of which are described. The interaction of fields with matter is emphasized, with examples taken from electrostatic precipitators, the current and charges induced in a person by a power line, magnetic recording, magnetic (i.e. electric) motors, antenna, etc. The introduction of magnetization parallels that of polarization, using the Chu formulation of electrodynamics.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Teaching Electromagnetics through Finite Elements. Part I: The Rationale

The rationale for teaching undergraduate electromagnetics partly through the finite element method, is put forward. Properly presented, the finite element method, easily within the ken of the engineering undergraduate, promotes clarity and helps to replace large portions of syllabi devoted to special solution methods, with problems of industrial magnitude and character.