The practical component of the unit will be assessed via a portfolio of documentation, consisting of lab records for each experiment, one formal report, and one report in the form of a poster (suitable for presentation at a conference). We will guide you through the process of building your lab portfolio throughout the session. 

The lecture content from the first half of the unit will be assessed using a take-home problem set due in week 9. The content of the first half will also be tested in the final exam, but the questions in that exam will be weighted towards the second half of the unit. 

The main text for the unit is Griffiths, "Introduction to Electrodynamics".

This unit is taught through lectures and SGTA (Small Group Teaching Activities) and through undertaking laboratory experiments. We strongly encourage students to attend lectures because they provide a much more interactive and effective learning experience than studying a text book. The lecturer is able to interpret the physics that you will be learning, showing you the relationships between different components/concepts and emphasising the key physics principles involved. Questions during and outside lectures are strongly encouraged in this unit - please do not be afraid to ask, as it is likely that your classmates will also want to know the answer. You should aim to read the relevant sections of the textbook before and after lectures and discuss the content with classmates and lecturers.

This unit includes a experimental component. The experiments are stand-alone investigations and may include topics not covered by the lecture content of this course - they are an important part of the learning for this unit and the skills learned are essential for a well-rounded physics graduate.

You should aim to spend an average of 3 hours per week understanding the material and working on the SGTA (Small Group Teaching Activity) problems and exercises. Attempting SGTA (Small Group Teaching Activity) questions  is one of the key learning activities for this unit. It is by applying knowledge learned from lectures and textbooks to solve problems that you are best able to test and develop your skills and understanding of the material. SGTAs will include formative quizzes, to help you assess how your learning is progressing.

As mentioned, there are many useful web resources on this material and we encourage you to seek out youtube videos and other resources.  However, while reading over the lecture notes and reading the textbook are very important, reading notes and watching physics videos are passive learning activities. It is critical that a substantial portion of your study time in physics is devoted to active learning strategies by attempting numerous problems from the text, SGTA, assignment and past exams. It is simply impossible to become adept in this subject by watching physics problems, you must do physics problems.

The first half of this unit is special relativity, and the second half is electromagnetism. 

Lectures and SGTAs start in week 1, and labs start in week 2. 

Full details of the lab program will be provided in iLearn. Please check in week 1 for details of any preparation required for your week 2 lab session. 

SGTA quizzes and weekly reading have been removed, and replaced with a take-home assignment. Weekly lab assessment has been replaced with a portfolio to be submitted at the end of the unit. Hurdles on assessment tasks, including the final exam, have been removed.