U NIVERSITY OF T ORONTO

FACULTY OF A PPLIED S CIENCE AND E NGINEERING

The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

ECE 320H1F
F IELDS AND WAVES

MIDTERM

21 November 2008, 13:10 – 14:00

Examiner: Prof. Sean V. Hum

NAME:

STUDENT NUMBER:

TOTAL POINTS: 20

Notes:

• Include units in your answers.

• You can use one double-sided, letter-sized aid sheet.
• All non-programmable electronic calculators are allowed.
• Only answers that are fully justified will be given full credit.
• You can write in pen or pencil, but requests for remarking will be considered for papers
written in pen only.

GOOD LUCK!
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U SEFUL F ORMULAE

• Permittivity of free space: 0 = 8.8541878176 × 10−12 F/m

• Permeability of free space: µ0 = 4π × 10−7 H/m

• Speed of light in vacuum: c = 3 × 108 m/s

• Complex permittivity: c = 0 − j00 =  − j ωσ

√
• Wavenumber: k = ω µ

• Complex propagation constant in an unbounded medium: γ = jk = α + jβ

• Phase constant: β = ω/vp = 2π/λ

• Intrinsic impedance: η = µ
p

ZL −Z0
• Load reflection coefficient: ΓL = ZL +Z0

• Input reflection coefficient: Γ = ΓL e−j2β` e−2α`

1+|Γ|
• Standing wave ratio: S = 1−|Γ|

• Admittance of an open stub: Yin = jY0 tan(β`)

• Impedance of a shorted stub: Zin = jZ0 tan(β`)

1+Γ(`)
• Impedance transformation: Zin = Z0 1−Γ(`)

• Maxwell’s Equations:

Integral form Point form

H
S
D · dS = Qencl ∇ · D = ρv
H
S
B · dS = 0 ∇·B =0

E · dL = − dtd ∇ × E = − ∂B
H R
C S
B · dS ∂t

∂D ∂D
H R
C
H · dL = Iencl + S ∂t
· dS ∇×H =J + ∂t
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P ROBLEM #1. [10 POINTS ]

Consider a plane wave traveling in the −y-direction. At y = 0, the electric field strength is
200 V/m. The plane wave propagates in a dielectric with r = 4.4 and σ = 0.1 S/m. The frequency
of the wave is 4 GHz.

a) Specify if the medium is lossless, low-loss, lossy, or a good conductor. Determine the prop-
agation constant γ of the wave. [2 marks]

b) How far, in wavelengths, does the wave travel from y = 0 before it is attenuated by 6 dB? [2
marks]

c) Write the phasor and time-domain expressions for the electric field if the wave is right-hand
circular-polarized (RHCP) and the electric field is pointed in the +x-direction at y = 0, t =
0. Substitute in all known numerical values for variables in your expressions. [3 marks]

d) Write the phasor and time-domains expression for the magnetic field of the wave, assuming
it has the characteristics described in part (c). Substitute in all known numerical values for
variables in your expressions. [3 marks]
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P ROBLEM #2. [10 POINTS ]

The following problems are independent from each other. They are short answer questions, please
answer in one or two sentences.

a) Explain, in words, the conditions on the tangential components of an electric and magnetic
field on either side of a dielectric-dielectric media interface, assuming the dielectrics are
lossless and in a source-free region. [2 marks]

b) Explain how a material can have a complex permittivity. What does this imply? [2 marks]

c) What is the difference between characteristic impedance and intrinsic impedance? [2 marks]

d) Explain two ways one can determine the magnetic field associated with a plane wave if one
knows the electric field and the material constants associated with the medium the wave is
traveling in. [2 marks]

e) Consider a good (but non-perfect) conductor whose material parameters (µ, , σ) do not
vary with frequency. Would you expect a radio wave to be attenuated more/less/the same as
a light wave, per unit length in the medium? Explain. [2 marks]
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