Customer Reviews

The Electromagnetic Field (Dover Books on Physics)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most EM texts out there are overpriced and underwritten. They use color drawings and shiny, glossy pages to make up for lack of content. Shadowitz's book is the exact opposite: it's a dover edition, which means it's cheap and doesn't look as good. But this is one of those cases in which you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Shadowitz is everything a serious student would like: it covers 1st/2nd year electromagnetism with great detail. It covers many topics, from basic electrostatics and vector analysis, to radiation theory and special relativity. The explanations are always kept clear. A physical context is always provided. Many solved examples are scattered throughout the text. The problems are instructive and odd-numbered ones have solutions at the end of the book. I simply cannot feel sorry that not all books are as good as this one. Although with most Dover books you get what you pay for (which isn't much), this book is an exception. Even if you're studying advanced EM and are using, say, Jackson's text, Shadowitz's text makes a great companion.
I have a few minor quibbles with the book, mainly its use of SI units, but Shadowitz provides appendices which explain how to convert between the various systems.

Book goes beyond classical text(state theory, give minimal amount of related examples, move on, etc..) Author is an educator(not just an instructor) and the strengths of the book are in the extent to which he attempts(and succeeds) to illuminate the subject so that every facet of it is clearly revealed. Well Done!

I am a graduate student in Physics and have found this to be a wonderful reference manual to the "Jackson" graduate text. Shadowitz offers great explanations for sometimes complicated mathematical terms. Additionally, he gives valuable, indepth examples for tensors and makes no illogical or complicated jumps in his derivations of other mathematical formulae.

"The Electromagnetic Field" is the best book on electromagnetics I have read. Shadowitz treats electrostatics and magneostatics in parallel which makes it easier to digest the information. Included also are two chapters on special relativity, an introduction to tensors and electrodynamics, and of course Maxwell's Equations. Answers to the odd number problems are in the back of the book which is extremely helpful for someone trying to learn this on their own. There is also a chapter on radiation which is one of the best introductions on the subject I have found.

I would recommend if one can find it "Basic Electromagnetic Theory" by Demetrius Paris and F. Kenneth Hurd. It is a good supplemental text although not absolutely necessary. Also check out MIT Professor Walter Lewin's video lectures, they are very informative and fun.

This book is very insightful and for the price it cannot be beat.

When it comes to a Junior-Senior textbook on electromagnetism, electrical engineers and physicists will want a different approach. However, electronics engineering is close to physics and this book comes close to pleasing both groups. Probably the best book on EM theory for electronics engineers is "Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics" by Ramo, Whinnery, and van Duzer. Ramo is the R in the company called TRW. Nonetheless, Shadowitz covers the basics of an EM text for electonics engineers, for example, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation. Sprinkled throughout the text are interesting tidbits of theoretical physics. The book is in SI units, but he adequately informs the reader about esu and emu units, a discussion of which seems to have become unfortunately banned at some American colleges.

You can't possibly get more for your money than this book. Don't let the price fool you - this is a well written book on electromagnetics.

Despite studying MRI physics as a (neuro)radiologist, lets just say this is for the MIT RF engineer in you or someone who reads Rich Feynman books in the john...It is very calculus based, and is a lovely discourse on all facets of Maxwell's equations, plus many more very practical examples of real life magnetics (dipole-dipole interections, etc).

I bought it just to scare the pants off my radiology residents at lecture time.