Theoretical Physics

This course of electrodynamics is a part of theoretical physics. It is read mainly to physics students. The authors reflect in the book the modern level of evolution of classical electrodynamics. Thus in presenting the material, the pivot is the application of the general and fundamental principles of theoretical physics. As mentioned in the preface of the book, The Classical Theory of Fields, by Landau and Lifshitz, the theory of the electromagnetic field involves special elativistic theory. Thus, the latter is taken as the basis for this course. This in particular explains the selection and form of the development of the material in part I concerned with the relativistic theory. The reader should be acquainted with the basis of relativistic theory, and, in particular, it’s experimental basis. More attention is given to the question of relativistic covariance of equations and transformable properties of physical quantities.First, in order to develop the main relations the variational principle is used. This provides the most general, unique and simple development. Such a method of development is expected of the reader. This is apart from his/her acquaintance with the electromagnetic phenomena at the level of a general physics course. Also important is an acquaintance with classical mechanics. Here the methods of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian and mechanics of the variational principles should be known.