Numerical techniques

Abstract

Numerical techniques for calculating electromagnetic fields surpassed analytical techniques many years ago. Analytical methods work for only a few basic geometries that do not apply to most practical problems. Most undergraduate electromagnetics texts now contain sections on numerical methods for calculating fields. The IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagations have more articles on numerical calculation of fields than on analytical calculation. Professors must skip teaching some of the traditional analytical methods in favor of the newer numerical methods. Classroom and technical presentations make use of electromagnetic movies in which the viewer watches a very colorful display of a gaussian pulse striking an object and scattering. The computer has become a critical part of electromagnetics.