Teaching eletromagnetism at undergraduate level

Electromagnetism embraces the physical interpretation, analysis, and synthesis of electric and magnetic phenomena. To study it is to explore fundamental concepts of electrical engineering. Now concepts may seem academic and far removed from engineering requirements. The applications found in the technical papers of proceedings and transactions of learned societies belie this, and the broad interest is evident from the correspondence columns of the house journals of these societies. Another measure of the interest shown is afforded by the reception of Prof. Hammond´s paper1 on the teaching of fundamentals to students. It is over 20 years since that paper was published: the content has not been changed by the passage of time, but new disciplines have emerged to change the emphasis in the subject matter taught to students. And practical calculations are now more feasible with the advent of, and continuing improvements in, digital computers. Prof. Rawcliffe´s comment to the discussion of, that paper, `¿ it is desirable that, from time to time, our profession shall be led to reflect on these fundamentals¿, provides a pretext for the present article should one be needed