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6.630 Electromagnetics (H)

Lecturer: : J. Kong Lecturer's Rating: 6.2/7.0 Prerequisites: 6.013, Vector calculus, complex algebra, differential equations

Response rate: 50 out of 61 Difficulty: 3.8/7.0 Overall Rating: 5.8/7.0 Term Evaluated: Fall 2004

Lecturer's Comments:

None

This class provides an introduction to electromagnetic wave theory. The class starts with Maxwell's equations and builds on them to address a host of E&M-related areas. The course is weighted more heavily towards the physics end of electromagnetics as opposed to the practical end, but a healthy diversity of topics are covered.

The class was taken by students looking to fulfill their Grad-H requirement, to learn E&M material, and to further their research. The courseload was lighter but kept the students' interest.

Lecturer J. Kong (6.2/7.0, 49 responses) was universally praised for his excellent presentation style and entertaining anecdotes about Maxwell and others. His stories were funny and all the while he encouraged participation and imparted a sound intuition of the material through his course. However, he could use some better organization skills, especially with regard to his board techniques. He was not always clear and sometimes the lectures were hard to follow. Some students requested lecture slides.

Recitation Instructor X. Chen (5.6/7.0, 42 responses) is knowledgeable and helpful. A few students commented that he assumed a lack of understanding correlated with a lack of effort. However, the majority felt he was understanding, to the point, and well-prepared.

Bibles were not used in this course and while many collaborated there were also those who chose not to. The problem sets were very useful and harder at times but easier at others. They were clear and very relevant for the quiz, taking about 5 hours to complete on average. The solutions were promptly distributed.

The course text was written by Professor Kong himself. It was thorough and expounded the material well, but it was disorganized and sometimes difficult to understand. The text was a useful one.

Quizzes were worth 67% of the course grade and problem sets were worth 33% of the students' final grade. There were two exams, the first of which students commented was easy. Knowing the problem sets was essential to performing well on the first exam. Students filled out their HKN surveys prior to the taking of the exam.