Electromagnetics for engineers

[Fakesmile]

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I'm a biochem major but I'm considering to take a 2nd-year physics titled Electromagnetics, and the textbook used is "Electromagnetics for engineers". The only prereq for the course is calculus III and 1st year physics. Most people in the class are in engineering or physics.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to ace this course, because I've got a B+ in calculus III and B+ in one of the two 1st year physics. I know this will vary depending on prof and school, but generally, for those of you who've taken electromagnetics, how difficult was it to get an A? Any tips on doing well in the course would be appreciated. If it's really hard, I might as well not take it.

 

[Klemptor]

I'm a biochem major but I'm considering to take a 2nd-year physics titled Electromagnetics, and the textbook used is "Electromagnetics for engineers". The only prereq for the course is calculus III and 1st year physics. Most people in the class are in engineering or physics.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to ace this course, because I've got a B+ in calculus III and B+ in one of the two 1st year physics. I know this will vary depending on prof and school, but generally, for those of you who've taken electromagnetics, how difficult was it to get an A? Any tips on doing well in the course would be appreciated. If it's really hard, I might as well not take it.

I got an A in my E&M course, but it was a ballbuster. It really depends on the level of math your professor uses. The math prereq for my E&M course was Calc III but we ended up applying a lot of math that wasn't covered in Calc III, and having to learn it on the fly. It was hard but not impossible. I am, however, a biophysics major, so I'm kind of used to learning and applying new math concepts on the fly. If you're looking for an easy course to ace, I'd stay away. But it was really very interesting and if you are willing to spend the time and energy, you might enjoy it. Hope this helps.

 

[surftheiop]

I'm a biochem major but I'm considering to take a 2nd-year physics titled Electromagnetics, and the textbook used is "Electromagnetics for engineers". The only prereq for the course is calculus III and 1st year physics. Most people in the class are in engineering or physics.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to ace this course, because I've got a B+ in calculus III and B+ in one of the two 1st year physics. I know this will vary depending on prof and school, but generally, for those of you who've taken electromagnetics, how difficult was it to get an A? Any tips on doing well in the course would be appreciated. If it's really hard, I might as well not take it.

I wouldn't suggest it unless you have some specific research interest related to the subject material.

In general freshman/sophomore engineering courses tend to sound cool, but then you end up just doing a bunch of really painful math without much real idea of why. So unless you just loved calculus I would avoid it

 

[lorenzomicron]

At my school, we don't have the 2nd year EM, just the third year. It's been known to be the hardest class at my school.

 

[TheRadiologist]

Why do you want to take it?

If you are strong in math, the class is not too bad. I took a class like it when I was an undergrad because I was an EE major and it was required. You will have to deal with partial differential equations and multivariate calculus. This stuff is only for intense math types. If you are a premed and want to keep your GPA up, stay away form it. If you want to just learn the stuff for fun, audit the class.

 

[Fakesmile]

Why do you want to take it?

If you are strong in math, the class is not too bad. I took a class like it when I was an undergrad because I was an EE major and it was required. You will have to deal with partial differential equations and multivariate calculus. This stuff is only for intense math types. If you are a premed and want to keep your GPA up, stay away form it. If you want to just learn the stuff for fun, audit the class.

Several reasons I want to take it:
-I think the course is cool.
-I want some challenge.
-I want to boost my BCPM GPA.
-I've always had some fear of physics, so I want to take this opportunity to overcome it by taking it (provided I end up with an A, of course).

 

[surftheiop]

Several reasons I want to take it:
-I think the course is cool.
-I want some challenge.
-I want to boost my BCPM GPA.
-I've always had some fear of physics, so I want to take this opportunity to overcome it by taking it (provided I end up with an A, of course).

These two things don't really mesh together.

Based on the fact you didn't make straight A's in Calc or Physics, I give you aproximately 0% chance of making an A in this class. (Unless of course for some reason this class is known to be really easy at your school)

 

[amine2086]

I'm a biochem major but I'm considering to take a 2nd-year physics titled Electromagnetics, and the textbook used is "Electromagnetics for engineers". The only prereq for the course is calculus III and 1st year physics. Most people in the class are in engineering or physics.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to ace this course, because I've got a B+ in calculus III and B+ in one of the two 1st year physics. I know this will vary depending on prof and school, but generally, for those of you who've taken electromagnetics, how difficult was it to get an A? Any tips on doing well in the course would be appreciated. If it's really hard, I might as well not take it.

I took a EM class that used the same book you mentioned. EM is one of my favorite topic and I really enjoyed the class. But I have to admit the class was very Math. intensive. I was a EE student so I was very used to math intensive engineering classes. If you are willing to work hard and do not plan on taking many other time intensive classes, I would say go ahead a take it.

 

[chman]

Why do you want to take it?

If you are strong in math, the class is not too bad. I took a class like it when I was an undergrad because I was an EE major and it was required. You will have to deal with partial differential equations and multivariate calculus. This stuff is only for intense math types. If you are a premed and want to keep your GPA up, stay away form it. If you want to just learn the stuff for fun, audit the class.

This sound like good advice to me, but then again I'm the type of guy that had trouble in calc 1. This seems like the kind of class that one must accept going in that the prospect of getting an A is dim at best. It most definitely does not sound like a class to "boost' your science GPA as you said. I like the idea of sitting in on it though, if you are truly interested in the material. But again, this is coming from someone who has nightmares about physics from time to time.

 

[dr zaius]

EM is very interesting, but some of the concepts can seem esoteric to even the brightest physics students. My EM class had about 1 day of review before we were neck deep in line integrals and other fun things. If you're looking to boost your BCPM and don't have a firm grasp of first year physics and calculus, I would probably stay away unless you have plenty of time to devote to it. There are tons of interesting BCPM classes that aren't as intense.

 

[dingyibvs]

i dont think it even counts as bcpm. i got A's pretty easily in calc 3 and physics 1 and 2 and had plenty of trouble in EM, not making an A. probably like a C.

 

[Bleg]

I'm a biochem major but I'm considering to take a 2nd-year physics titled Electromagnetics, and the textbook used is "Electromagnetics for engineers". The only prereq for the course is calculus III and 1st year physics. Most people in the class are in engineering or physics.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to ace this course, because I've got a B+ in calculus III and B+ in one of the two 1st year physics. I know this will vary depending on prof and school, but generally, for those of you who've taken electromagnetics, how difficult was it to get an A? Any tips on doing well in the course would be appreciated. If it's really hard, I might as well not take it.

I took a third-year E/M course. Very interesting, but probably the hardest course I ever took, either as an undergrad or in grad school. I think I got some kind of C out of it.

If you're really interested in the topic, you should audit the class. You still get to attend the lectures, do the homework, and take the tests, but you don't have to worry about a grade.