PSPICE as a Simulation Tool in Teaching Electrodynamics

An experimental course in electromagnetic theory has been developed in which the student version of PSPICE can be used to illustrate a large class of theoretical principles. The course material is based on the argument that many interesting problems in electrodynamics can be addressed using TEM waves normally incident on a dielectric or reflecting interface. The relationship between a normally incident propagating TEM wave and a voltage (or current) wave propagating down a transmission line are shown to be mathematically equivalent, as are the constitutive parameters of a material and the inductance and capacitance per unit length in a transmission line. Once these relationships have been established, the transmission line models available in PSPICE can be used to solve interesting physical problems.