Electromagnetics and Applications
As taught in: Spring 2009
Illustration of the electromagnetic spectrum. (Image courtesy of NASA.)
Instructors:
Prof. David Staelin
MIT Course Number:
6.013
Level:
Undergraduate
Course Description
This course explores electromagnetic phenomena in modern applications, including wireless and optical
communications, circuits, computer interconnects and peripherals, microwave communications and radar, antennas,
sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, and power generation and transmission. Fundamentals include quasistatic
and dynamic solutions to Maxwell's equations; waves, radiation, and diffraction; coupling to media and structures;
guided waves; resonance; acoustic analogs; and forces, power, and energy.
Syllabus
Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session
Recitations: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session
Tutorials: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session
Prerequisites
18.01, 18.02, or equivalent; 8.01, 8.02, or equivalent; and 6.002 and 6.00. More specifically they include complex
numbers, vector operators, simple matrix operations, basic calculus, RLC circuits, Maxwell's equations, and Fourier
transforms.
Objectives
Students will:
1. Understand the big ideas of electromagnetics, including:
Static and dynamic electromagnetic (EM) fields, energy, and power
EM fields and waves within and at the boundaries of media
EM radiation and propagation in space and within transmission lines
Circuit behavior of simple EM devices and transmission lines
EM forces on charges, currents, and materials; mechanically produced fields
Photon behavior
2. Relate the big ideas of EM to economically important applications, including:
Wireless and wired communications systems
Electronic circuits and systems, analog and digital
Actuators (motors) and sensors (generators)
Optical and acoustic devi