Preface of Maxwell Equation, EMW Publishing, 2002
by J. A. Kong

My original book Electromagnetic Wave Theory was published in 1975 by Wiley Interscience, New York, entitled Theory of Electromagnetic Waves, which was based on my 1968 Ph.D. thesis, where the concept of bianisotropic media was introduced. The book was expanded and published by the same Publisher in 1986 with the title Electromagnetic Wave Theory, and its second edition appeared in 1990. It was subsequently published by EMW Publishing Company, Massachusetts. This textbook on Maxwell Equations is distilled from the introductory part of Electromagnetic Wave Theory.

Starting with James Clerk Maxwell's life and his theory, the Maxwell Equations and their implications and applications are studied in detail. Chapter 1 presents Maxwell Equations in the familiar mathematical form. Chapter 2 studies the various fundamental concepts of Maxwell Equations. A fundamental unit Ko = 2π meter−1 for spatial frequency is introduced. Chapter 3 illustrates the fundamental importance of the wave vector k. Chapter 4 examines transmission lines and circuit theory in time domain. Chapter 5 introduces complex notation for continuous waves and employs the transmission line theory to demonstrate some useful concepts. At the end of each section, exercises and problems are designed to provide useful examples for practice and applications.

During the writing and preparation of this and the previous books, many of my teaching and research assistants provided useful suggestions and proofreading, notably Leung Tsang, Michael Zuniga, Weng Cho Chew, Tarek Habashy, Robert Shin, Shun-Lien Chuang, Jay Kyoon Lee, Apo Sezginer, Soon Yun Poh, Eric Yang, Michael Tsuk, Hsiu Chi Han, Yan Zhang, Henning Braunisch, Chi On Ao, and Bae-Ian Wu. I would like to express my gratitude to them and to the many students whose enthusiastic response and feedback continuously give me joy and satisfaction in teaching.

J. A. Kong
Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 2002

Back to Kong's Books