Introductory Electromagnetics
Fall, Spring
Required for EE; Technical Elective for CE
Catalog Data: 

ECE 381A -- Introductory Electromagnetics  (3 units)

Description:  Electrostatic and magnetostatic fields; Maxwell's equations; introduction to plane waves, transmission lines, and sources.


Usually offered:  Fall, Spring

MATH 223 and ECE 220.

Applied Electromagnetics by F. T. Ulaby, Ed. 5  (Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007)

Course Learning Outcomes: 


  1. Perform vector calculus operations such as the gradient, the divergence and the curl.
  2. Identify and list Maxwell’s equations in time domain, as well as associated boundary conditions.
  3. Apply Coulomb’s law to find the force on a charge caused by other charges.
  4. Apply Gauss’ law to determine the electric field caused by a simple charge distribution.
  5. Calculate the electrostatic potential of simple charge distributions.
  6. Explain the effects of conducting and dielectric materials on field quantities.
  7. List the boundary conditions for the electric field vectors on the interface of two different materials.
  8. Calculate the energy stored in an electrostatic field.
  9. Identify Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations and solve them to find electrostatic potentials and fields.
  10. Calculate the capacitance for basic configurations that reduce to one-dimensional systems.
  11. Apply the method of images to find electrostatic potentials and fields of simple charge distributions above perfect conductors.
  12. Describe the conservation of charge and Ohm’s laws and write them in vector calculus format.
  13. Apply Ampere’s force law to calculate the force between constant currents of simple configurations.
  14. Apply the Biot-Savart law to calculate the magnetic flux density caused by a simple current configuration.
  15. Apply Ampere’s law to calculate the magnetic field produced by simple current configurations.
  16. Identify the magnetostatic potential and flux.
  17. Identify and list different magnetic materials.
  18. List the boundary conditions for the magnetic field vectors on the interface of two different materials.
  19. Calculate the inductance and resistance for simple actual physical devices.
  20. Calculate the energy stored in a magnetostatic field.
  21. Identify the time-varying Faraday and Ampere laws (quasi-statics).
  22. Calculate the induction effects from time-varying magnetic fields.
  23. Identify the Poynting vector and use it to calculate the power flow produced by electromagnetic fields.
  24. Identify Maxwell’s equations in the frequency domain.
  25. Identify the wave equation.
  26. Explain the propagation of one dimensional plane waves in lossless and lossy materials.
  27. List the various polarizations of uniform plane waves.
  28. Calculate the reflection and transmission coefficients of uniform plane waves at planar interfaces.
  29. Explain the propagation of signals along lossless and lossy transmission lines in the frequency and time domains.
  30. Calculate the solutions of the one dimensional transmission line equations and the propagation characteristics of basic transmission line configurations.
  31. Plot the voltage distribution vs. distance and time along a loaded transmission line.
  32. Calculate the input impedance and standing wave pattern of a loaded transmission line.
  33. Describe techniques for matching a loaded transmission line.
  34. Design single-stub matching networks.
  35. Describe the operation/principles of quarter-wave transformers
Course Topics: 
  • Mathematical review and Maxwell’s equations
  • Transmission lines
  • Electrostatics
  • Magnetostatics, quasi-statics
  • Time-varying fields and Maxwell’s equations
  • Uniform plane waves
  • Radiation
Class/Laboratory Schedule: 

Three 50 minute lecture sections per week

Approximately 3-4 homework problems per week (selected grading)

Three hour exams

Comprehensive Final Exam

Relationship to Student Outcomes: 




f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility (Low)

g) an ability to communicate effectively  (Low)


j) a knowledge of contemporary issues (Medium)


Prepared by: 
Dr. Hao Xin
Prepared Date: 

University of Arizona College of Engineering