  These notes provide two derivations of the Lorentz-Dirac equation. The first
is patterned after Landau and Lifshitz and is based on the observation that the
half-retarded minus half-advanced potential is entirely responsible for the
radiation-reaction force. The second is patterned after Dirac, and is based
upon considerations of energy-momentum conservation; it relies exclusively on
the retarded potential. The notes conclude with a discussion of the
difficulties associated with the interpretation of the Lorentz-Dirac equation
as an equation of motion for a point charge. The presentation is essentially
self-contained, but the reader is assumed to possess some elements of
differential geometry (necessary for the second derivation only).
