Towards a Livelier Electromagnetic Education with an Interactive MATLAB-based GUI

The theory of electromagnetic is one of the base of electrical and electronic engineering education, and it has a huge impact on many forefront technology. This paper describes an effort to improve the quality of electromagnetic education by utilizing computer. It documents the development of a MATLAB-based GUI to visualize plane wave polarization, electromagnetic wave propagation in two and three dimensions (2D/3D), plane wavefronts and spherical wavefronts. The multiwindow app allows users to customize the wave parameters such as amplitude, frequency, phase shift, and attenuation constant. This standalone interactive application can be used to enhance the teaching process and to help students understand the relevant concepts better.