Computers and computer graphics in the teaching of field phenomena

The use of computers and computer graphics in the teaching of sophomore/junior level students majoring in electrical engineering and computer engineering is discussed. Any previous study of electromagnetic fields is presumed to have been limited to a brief exposure in freshman physics. The author has been using both instructor-written and student-written programs in teaching various topics in the fields area for many years. The major part of the discussion concerns static field phenomena, since the basic introductory concepts taught to these student begins with static phenomena and since the physical meaning of many field quantities can best be understood in terms of static fields. Some of the ways the author is implementing the use of computers and computer graphics in his electromagnetics classes are described