From: Hale Bradt, 8.02 lecturer

Dear 8.02 student:

WELCOME

We look forward to seeing you in the course. We hope to make 8.02 an accessible and satisfying experience for each of you. The story of Electricity and Magnetism takes one from simple table-top experiments to, finally, the synthesis of these experiments in an elegant mathematical description of the propagation of light. This is a beautiful and complete story with satisfying closure that is rarely found in a single course.

FEATURES

The course will feature

(1) Many lecture demonstrations that illustrate the amazing phenomena of Electricity and Magnetism.

(2) Problems rewritten to have more explanations and hints than those usually found in texts. Complete Solutions will be available to you in advance for rapid feedback regarding your efforts.

(3) Recitations and Tutorials

(4) ALL handouts for the entire term will be available before the beginning of the course - you may pick them up beginning 19 Jan - in Room 4-339B. The Math Handout will be available 12 Jan.

8.01 PREREQUISITE REQUIRED

We have found that most students who have not completed 8.01 (in any version) are not able to satisfactorily complete 8.02. The Department of Physics therefore mandates that the 8.01 prerequisite (any version) be satisfied for all taking 8.02. Persons taking the course without the prerequisite will receive no grade on any of the exams nor credit for the course, unless they successfully petition the Physics Department through Prof. Richard Yamamoto.

[To get the prerequisite waived for 8.02, one *must* fill out a petition and Prof. Yamamoto *may* approve the petition if *all* four of the following criteria are met:

1. the student's 8.01 (any version) grade was *D*, not *F*

2. the student is not on "Dean's Warning"

3. the student would have completed 18.02 (any version) or 18.03 in the Mathematics sequence, before starting on 8.02.

4. the petition has the approval of the student's Freshman Advisor]

 

IMPORTANT MATHEMATICS SUPPLEMENT

Early in 8.02, we introduce and use mathematics concepts introduced only later in 18.02, e.g. double integrals. These concepts follow easily from 18.01 and are mostly used in a qualitative manner in 8.02. We have prepared a Mathematics Supplement for those of you who have not yet had 18.02 to help you get a jump start on these concepts. We urge you take a few hours to go through it, preferably during IAP. This Handout is available in Room 4-339B, beginning Jan. 12.

ONE-HOUR EXAM SCHEDULE

The schedule of the one hour exams follows. Mark the dates now, so you can keep them clear. Excuses from them are hard to come by.

At your usual lecture hour: 10 AM or 11 AM on:

Friday, Feb. 18

Weds., Mar. 15

Weds., Apr. 19

There will also be a two hour *final exam* (with 3 hours allowed) during Final Exam week.

SUBJECT SYLLABUS and ORGANIZATION

The syllabus for the course, and more organizational details, are available as a single document in the 8.02 Course Locker (web.mit.edu/8.02/www/). It will also be available in the handout room.

QUESTIONS:

You should feel free to address questions to me, to: our Faculty Administrator, Prof. George Koster, 4-334, 3-4870, phyjbm@mit.edu, or to our Staff Administrator Claudia LaBollita James, 4-352, 3-4461, cljames@mit.edu.

Again, I emphasize that we will make every effort to make the subject material in 8.02 accessible and fun for you.

Again, we look forward to meeting you.

With best regards,

Hale Bradt

Lecturer of 8.02

37-587, 253-7550

bradt@mit.edu