What is Electromagnetic: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Electromagnetism is a branch of physics involving the study of the electromagnetic force, a type of physical interaction that occurs between electrically charged particles. The electromagnetic force is carried by electromagnetic fields composed of electric fields and magnetic fields, and it is responsible for electromagnetic radiation such as light. It is one of the four fundamental interactions (commonly called forces) in nature, together with the strong interaction, the weak interaction, and gravitation. At high energy, the weak force and electromagnetic force are unified as a single electroweak force.

Electromagnetic phenomena are defined in terms of the electromagnetic force, sometimes called the Lorentz force, which includes both electricity and magnetism as different manifestations of the same phenomenon. The electromagnetic force plays a major role in determining the internal properties of most objects encountered in daily life. The electromagnetic attraction between atomic nuclei and their orbital electrons holds atoms together. Electromagnetic forces are responsible for the chemical bonds between atoms which create molecules, and intermolecular forces. The electromagnetic force governs all chemical processes, which arise from interactions between the electrons of neighboring atoms. Electromagnetism is very widely used in modern technology, and electromagnetic theory is the basis of electric power engineering and electronics including digital technology.
There are numerous mathematical descriptions of the electromagnetic field. Most prominently, Maxwell's equations describe how electric and magnetic fields are generated and altered by each other and by charges and currents.
The theoretical implications of electromagnetism, particularly the establishment of the speed of light based on properties of the "medium" of propagation (permeability and permittivity), led to the development of special relativity by Albert Einstein in 1905.

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  1. S

    Energy spectrum of electromagnetic showers.

    Homework Statement Use the simple model for electromagnetic showers (explained below) to show that the energy spectrum of all secondary particles contained in an electromagnetic shower falls like E^{-2} for E_0 >> E >> E_c The Attempt at a Solution An electron or a photon with energy E_0...
  2. M

    Higer dims: Electromagnetic field lines and stereographic projection

    I've noticed that electromagnetic field lines are very similar to stereographic projection of 3D sphere on 2D surface. Pictures below. In such comparison, electric field represents longitude and magnetic field represents latitude. For more visualization see...
  3. K

    E and B fields and Electromagnetic radiation

    Hello, I am having a lot of trouble in determining the difference between an electromagnetic field and electromagnetic radiation. Is an electromagnetic field caused by electromagnetic radiation within the space of which the field acts over? However if I am right a point charge that is not...
  4. Borek

    Mass spectroscopy and electromagnetic radiation

    Bear with me, I am a chemist :shy: As far as I understand, every accelerating charge emits electromagnetic radiation. In mass spectroscopy charged molecules/parts of molecules move in the magnetic field which bends their trajectories using Lorentz force. That means they are accelerated...
  5. A

    Electromagnetic waves and electrons

    Does the electron emit electromagnetic waves?
  6. F

    Place to study electromagnetic space drives?

    Would anyone have suggestions for places to investigate studies for next generation electromagnetic space drives? Life sometimes takes us far from our passions, and after being a HS genius-turned-automotive engineer-turned-IT salesman-turned-yachtracer-turned HS physics teacher, I'm trying to...
  7. R

    How can I prevent electromagnetic shorting in my electromagnet?

    Hi Guys, I'm hoping that someone here can help me. I have an electromagnet that when pulsed creates a short across the 30v supply. If I increase the resistance in series with the electromagnet to stop the short, will this reduce the strength of the electromagnet? Is there a way to...
  8. M

    Visualising electromagnetic (radio) waves.

    Hi. I am having trouble visualising radio waves. Assuming a perfect isotropic antenna (I know they don't exist) an electromagnetic is just a spherical pulse that radiates outward, this is quiet easy to visualise. However all texts refer to the magnetic and electric fields being 90 degrees...
  9. S

    Potential due to Electromagnetic field

    Homework Statement How much work does the electric field do in moving a proton from a point with a potential of +260 V to a point where it is -48.0 V? Express your answer in electron volts.Homework Equations V = p(A) - p(B) The Attempt at a Solution V= 260 [v] - (-48.0[V]) = 3.08×102 [V]...
  10. S

    Electromagnetic field equations of motion

    1. I'm not quite sure how the laplacian acts on this integral 2. \frac{\delta S}{\delta A_{\mu}}=\int\frac{\delta}{\delta A_{\mu}}(\frac{1}{4}F_{\rho\sigma}\frac{\triangle}{M^{2}}F^{\rho\sigma}) 3. I know I have to split the integral into three integrals for x y and z, but I'm not sure if a) I...
  11. R

    Energy of an electromagnetic wave

    I'm trying to teach myself some basic physics, and so maybe this question is stupid! But according to the wave model, the energy in an EM wave is proportional to the energy in the E and B fields, which can assume a range of values, no? But according to the quantum model, the energy of a photon...
  12. H

    How Strong Does an Electromagnet Need to Be to Lift a 10 kg Weight?

    Hello all, I am not at all good at physics or have studied it but have been asked to build something rather peculiar. I need to have an electromagnet which will have enough strength when activated to bring a 10 kg steel weight from above it down to meet the magnet. It would be positioned...
  13. T

    Generic Local Electromagnetic field - MTW Ex 4.1

    Can anyone help me with Ex 4.1 in MTW? What is a 'generic' field? My expectation is that it would comprise an Electric Field, with arbitrary direction, a Magnetic Field, also with arbitrary direction, and a radiation field (E and B of equal magnitude) , radiating in an arbitrary direction...
  14. H

    Coplanar Electromagnetic Fields

    Homework Statement The permittivity of a given medium is given by the equation ε = \begin{pmatrix} ε_1 & 0 & 0\\ 0 & ε_1 & 0\\ 0 & 0 & ε_2 \end{pmatrix} A wave is traveling in the \hat{k} direction in this medium where the unit vector \hat{k} is defined as \hat{k} =...
  15. M

    Doubt in electromagnetic spectrum

    In electromagnetic spectrum, why there is no radiation less than wavelength of Gamma rays and waves higher than the wavelength of Radio waves?
  16. J

    What causes the divergence of acceleration in the parallel plate system?

    Consider the system below comprising a pair of oppositely charged parallel plates, connected by a rigid rod of length r, constrained to move in the x-direction. The forces on the plates from the Coulomb electric fields and the magnetic forces are all in the vertical direction so that they do...
  17. M

    Friction: Force & Electromagnetic Nature

    What kind of force is Friction, force applied on a particle? Are these are Electromagnetic in nature?
  18. V

    Electromagnetic induction and conductor

    Hello everyone, One very basic thing about this phenomenon is not very clear to me. If a conductor moves in a region of uniform magnetic field, would it have an EMF induced across it? I'm confused because as per Faraday's law, a change in flux through the conductor is necessary for EMF to be...
  19. O

    , Electromagnetic waves and their collision

    Hello everyone, My Name is Dwayne McIntosh. I am not that good at Physics or Mathematics however i do have a problem. I was brainstorming the other day and i wanted to know, what if one was to use say electromagnetic waves (may be different wavelength,frequency or Photon Energy, but with...
  20. S

    Electromagnetic field quantization

    1. Hey, So I have to show this proof: \int d^{4}x(-\frac{1}{4}F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu})=\frac{1}{2}\int d^{4}xA^{\mu}(\square n_{\mu\nu}-\partial_{\mu}\partial_{\nu})A^{\nu} 2. Where F_{\mu\nu}=\partial_{\mu}A_{\nu}-\partial_{\nu}A_{\mu} 3. ok, so I spent forever trying to type...
  21. C

    Construct electromagnetic stress-energy tensor for a non-flat metric

    Hi, I am having problems in constructing a stress-energy tensor representing a constant magnetic field Bz in the \hat{z} direction. The coordinate system is a cylindric {t,r,z,\varphi}. The metric signature is (+,-,-,-). I ended with the following mixed stress-energy tensor: Is this...
  22. B

    Determining the Action of the Electromagnetic Field - Examples

    In Landau Volume 2 (page 71) an expression for determining the entire electromagnetic Lagrangian is given. What would be an explicit numerical examples of working this idea out along the lines Landau threads, or a good reference for finding these? I can't find anything despite looking in several...
  23. Spinnor

    Compress a very hot plasma, change in electromagnetic energy?

    Say I have a volume of hydrogen gas that is raised to a temperature T so that 99.9 percent of the gas is ionized. If now, with the plasma at some pressure P, the volume is compressed a small volume dV such that no energy leaves the volume I'm curious of a total accounting of where the energy PdV...
  24. G

    Electromagnetic Radiation/Photoelectric Effect

    Suppose you did an experiment in the lab where you exposed Cu and Ag to electromagnetic radiation and you wanted to graphically determine whether the metals underwent the photoelectric effect. (a) Sketch the graph, on the same set of labeled axes, that you would anticipate. (b) What...
  25. curious bishal

    Electromagnetic radiation and Flaw of De-Broglie Equation

    By De-Broglie,light also exibits matter property. According to him, wavelength=planck's constant/ momentum. And again momentum is the product of mass and velocity. We again know that, mass of light i.e. photon is zero. Then from De-Broglie's equation, is the wavelength of light infinity? If...
  26. W

    Electromagnetic Waves Questions

    1. In an EM wave traveling west, the B field oscillates vertically and has a frequency of 88.8 kHz and an rms strength of 7.8 * 10^-9 T. Determine the frequency and rms strength of the electric field. What is its direction? The electric field of an electromagnetic wave is given by Ex=E0 cos(kz...
  27. U

    Which case generates emf by electromagnetic induction

    1. a. coil is moved up and down in the same direction of flux. b. coil is rotated around an axis that is parallel to the flux. c. coil is rotated to the direction of the flux like a dynamo. 2. Electromagnetic inductions laws. 3. I'm really having a hard time...
  28. P

    Electromagnetic Field Lagrangian - Field Equations

    I was working on an exercise in Ohanian's book. [Appendix A3, page 484, Exercise 5] I guess he means charge conservation, but wrote ##j^\nu = 0##. The Lagrangian was given by ##\mathcal{L}_{em} = -\frac{1}{16\pi} \left( A_{\mu ,\nu} - A_{\nu ,\mu} \right) \left( A^{\mu ,\nu} - A^{\nu...
  29. Astrum

    Where Can I Find a Free Electromagnetic Field Simulator?

    Is there any program (preferably free) that simulates electromagnetic fields and their interactions with charged particles? I've found a couple gravity simulators, but none for EM, which isn't any fun, because I reckon it would be great to play with a realistic EM program.
  30. G

    How does an electromagnetic wave propagate in space?

    I am a biochemist and so my physics knowledge is limited. But for a long time I have been wondering on how exactly the electromagnetic field associated with a single photon propagates in space. I understand (using a cartesian image of the electric and magnetic field change) the oscillating...
  31. Crazymechanic

    Electromagnetic mass driver space launch

    Well I have a question , if we would already have the device that uses electromagnetic force to propel a capsule or whatever object like a satellite into space , now unlike a rocket this device would propel the object needed to carry to space in one certain direction at a given angle , now once...
  32. G

    Equations to Simulate Electromagnetic Field Readings

    I'm trying to program an application to simulate various readings of electromagnetic fields from any type of appliance or energy source. This part of physics was always my weakest. I don't remember any equations to use to get this data. The only thing I can remember is that it is related to the...
  33. N

    Momentum of electromagnetic field

    Hello, I am trying to prove that the momentum of an electromagnetic field is E \times B by considering the conserved quantity due to the spatial translation of the Lagrangian.  L = - \frac{1}{4}\int {{F^{\mu v}}{F_{\mu v}}} {d^3}x So far, I have calculated the canonical momentum...
  34. R

    Braking radiation and electromagnetic self action

    It is known that a charged particle moving with some acceleration emits electromagnetic waves. For example, this may be a particle moving at a constant speed on the circle. In this case the radiation of a particle is called the braking radiation, the cyclotron radiation, or the synchrotron...
  35. R

    Electromagnetic lens for an SEM

    Does anyone know how the machining tolerance in the construction of an electromagnetic lens affects resolution in a scanning electron microscope?
  36. ShayanJ

    Positive source for electromagnetic energy

    We know that the conservation of electromagnetic energy is expressed via the continuity equation below: \large{\frac{\partial u}{\partial t}}+\vec{\nabla}\cdot\vec{S}=-\vec{J}\cdot\vec{E} with u=\frac{1}{2}(\vec{E}\cdot\vec{D}+\vec{B}\cdot\vec{H}) and \vec{S}=\vec{E}\times\vec{H} . It...
  37. Newtons Apple

    Electromagnetic Waves: Frequency Bands

    Hello everyone. I'm studying wireless communications at school, and I have a question... If frequency is the amount in time that something oscillates, in this case, electrons, wouldn't a higher hertz, mean faster data transfer? A 2.4 MHZ way is must slower than a 2.4 Ghz wave correct? So...
  38. A

    How long will it take an electromagnetic wave to reach a satellite

    Homework Statement GPS determines your distance from a satellite by measuring how long it takes an electromagnetic wave to travel from the satellite to you. Imagine that a satellite is located at a distance of 127.2km and is moving away from you at a speed of 12.0km/s. a)how long will it...
  39. A

    Dipole antenna and electromagnetic waves

    Homework Statement Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution see last attachment I am not sure if I used the right equations or not.
  40. V

    Exploring the Interactions between Electromagnetic Spectrum and Living Organisms

    Hi, I would like to do more studies and research in electromagnetic spectrum. And I am interested very much in these waves and it's interaction with human or living things or matter. So please provide me with the information about what kind of courses I should take. I will complete my post...
  41. A

    Finding the frequency and wavelength of an electromagnetic wave

    Homework Statement Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Do I set up a proportion to first find the frequency of the electromagnetic wave in glass? 1.33/(3.42*1014)=1.62/fglass= 4.17*1014
  42. G

    Applications of electromagnetic radiation

    I’m searching for a book about the applications of electromagnetic radiation. A more specific topic I’m interested in is radio antennas but I’m searching for a book concerning more than 3 different applications (eg X-rays, microwave ovens and radio antennas). It should include equations and the...
  43. WannabeNewton

    Super-radiance of electromagnetic waves

    Hello there. I have to do a calculation (problem 5 of chapter 12 in Wald) verifying the super-radiance of electromagnetic waves incident on Kerr black holes and have a few preliminary questions. As background: on pages 328-329 of Wald, there is a discussion of super-radiance achieved by Klein...
  44. S

    Electromagnetic radiation and photons

    Hey all, my first post here. I'm 17 years old and am taking physics at A level. (Just finished my end of year exam today) So the understanding I have of light is that it is the oscillation of an electric field and of a magnetic field perpendicular to each other. I've come to the conclusion...
  45. baby_1

    Line charge equation in electromagnetic

    Hello i have some questions about to obtain finite line charge equation. as you know the equation of a finite line charge equation is now i want to demonstrate this equation. at first i assume that charge element on z>0 so 1- i solve the problem but my final answer is different...
  46. A

    Damped Electromagnetic Oscillations

    Homework Statement This problem was given in my physics test, and my physics teacher was unable to provide me with an answer for it. Given a circuit made up of a generator of variable frequency, i=Im(sin2∏ft-∅) and voltage u=Um(sin2∏ft), capacitor of capacitance 1μF, resistor of resistance...
  47. T

    Entropy and electromagnetic radiation

    I don't understand this: According to what modern physicists believe to be true, there is entropy that slowly converts all energy of the universe into heat that cannot do any work. Than this heat is radiated as infrared light into space. Correct? Besides infrared heat radiation, start also...
  48. V

    Does electromagnetic waves are generated by dc current?

    I am beginner in physics.I have question that when dc current flow they flow with apparent drift velocity so it appears that it should not emit em waves.But in actual current flow electrons are accelerated due to applied potential and also deaccelerated during collision so even they appear to...
  49. V

    Idea for electromagnetic hover car (maglev car)?

    Hey guys, I am just a simple high school student in a one-year physics course who wants to improve his ability in applied science and using physics to create new things (my dream is to be an inventor) I always had this idea of a Maglev (electromagnetic) hover car where it uses the messier...
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