CCNY PHYS 20900 - Fall 2026
To prepare for:
Monday, Sep 14, 2026
- Wave things
- Derive the Linear Wave Equation. One method can be found here: https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/16-2-mathematics-of-waves
- Maxwell Equations
Be able to explain in fundamental terms (i.e. each term/symbol, what it means, what it does, drawings are helpful) the following 4 Maxwell equations (as they are known in integral form).
-
\begin{align}
\oint \vec{E} \cdot d\vec{A} &= \frac{Q_{\text{enc}}}{\varepsilon_0} && \text{(Gauss's Law)} \\[8pt]
\end{align}
-
\begin{align}
\oint \vec{B} \cdot d\vec{A} &= 0 && \text{(Gauss's Law for Magnetism)} \\[8pt]
\end{align}
-
\begin{align}
\oint \vec{E} \cdot d\vec{\ell} &= -\frac{d \Phi_\textrm{M}}{dt} && \text{(Faraday's Law)} \\[8pt]
\end{align}
-
\begin{align}
\oint \vec{B} \cdot d\vec{\ell} &= \mu_0 I_{\text{enc}} + \mu_0 \varepsilon_0\frac{d \Phi_\textrm{E}}{dt} && \text{(Ampère–Maxwell Law)}
\end{align}
- Derive eq 16.16 from OpenStax U. Physics Volume 2
- Derive eq 16.18 from OpenStax U. Physics Volume 2
- Use the above to show that the electric field follows a linear wave equation, i.e. obtain equation 16.20