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. T

    Why Does a Voltmeter Show a Reading When an Iron Rod is Moved in Coil P?

    Homework Statement Two coils P and Q are placed close to one another. P is connected to a power supply whereas Q is only connected to a voltmeter and no supply (see attached diagram). The current in coil P is constant. An iron rod is inserted into coil P. a) Explain why during the time that...
  2. ZuperPosition

    Abstract definition of electromagnetic fields on manifolds

    Hello, In the sources I have looked into (textbooks and articles on differential geometry), I have not found any abstract definition of the electromagnetic fields. It seems that at most the electric field is defined as $$\bf{E}(t,\bf{x}) = \frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_0} \int \rho(t,\bf{x}')...
  3. Samuel Gosselin

    Which electromagnetic waves does a source emit?

    If a source emits high frequency electromagnetic wave, for example gamma rays, does it imply that it also emits all the waves of lesser frequency?
  4. Mohammad Fajar

    Electromagnetic Field vs Electromagnetic Wave

    When there is electric charge, then there is an electric field in space aorund it. Or when the electric charge is moving (without acceleration), then it is produced magnetic field in a space around it. Both of these fields permeated to infinity according to Maxwell theory. But how fast...
  5. Andrea B DG

    A Electromagnetic tensor and time reversal

    Consider equation (2.7.8) page 42 in the book Gravitation and Cosmology by Weinberg F' αβ = Λαγ Λβδ Fγδ Now consider the time reversal Lorenz transformation Λμν = 0 if μ ≠ ν, 1 if μ = ν = 1..3 and -1 if μ = ν = 0 then F' 00 = 0 F' 0i = -F 0i F' ij = F ij Using equation (2.7.5) of the same book...
  6. B

    Problem about electromagnetic waves -- Writing equations for B(t) and E(t)

    Hi! I'm trying to solve a problem and I'm lost. Would someone kindly help me with the solution, please? 1. Homework Statement A plain electromagnetic wave with a 20GHz frequency moves in the positive direction of the Y axis and its magnetic field is oriented along the Z axis. The amplitude of...
  7. PeroK

    Electromagnetic Lagrangian Invariance

    This is an example from "Noether's Theorem" by Neuenschwander. Chapter 5, example 4, page 74-75. He gives the Lagrangian for a charged particle in an electromagnetic field: ##L=\frac12 m \dot {\vec{r}}^2+e \dot{\vec{r}} \cdot \vec{A} -eV## And claims invariance invariance under the...
  8. F

    Electromagnetic waves: How broad is a plane wave?

    Hello all again, I was just thinking again about another aspect of electromagnetic waves: Assume we have a planar wave. How "broad" is it or how far does the electric field of it reach? For instance if we have a single planar wave, assume the k-vector in the direction of propagation and then the...
  9. F

    Electromagnetic waves: Photons generated by two charges attracted to each other?

    Hello all, after thinking about properties of electromagnetic waves, especially concerning the electric field of them, I ran into some serious understanding problems: 1) photons are electromagnetic waves and vice versa and they convey electrical force. Let's now do a thought experiment: let's...
  10. A

    Is Electromagnetic Braking Suitable for High-Speed Monorail Stopping?

    I'm working on a project and came across electromagnetic braking recently and I'm really curious to know if it's really feasible. The project in brief is a vehicle on a monorail at speeds of +600km/hr needs to be stopped. The monorail is made of an alloy of aluminium. I have no background in...
  11. L

    Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday's Law w/ Right Hand Rule

    Homework Statement Homework Equations Right Hand Rule The Attempt at a Solution I am not understanding why the force is left. I can only figure out that the current in the solenoid is moving clockwise because of the right hand rule. From there, I see that the induced current might be...
  12. R

    Generating electromagnetic fields with an electromagnet

    Hello, I am working on a science project to generate electromagnetic fields. From what I understand, the simplest way to do that is to coil copper wire around an iron core. My initial goal is to create a magnetic field with a maximum strength of 500 microtesla. Can this be accomplished if I...
  13. J

    The direction of induced current and magnetic field produced

    Homework Statement The figure below shows a small circular loop of wire in the plane of a long, straight wire that carries a steady current I upward. If the loop is moved from distance x_2 to distance x_1 from the straight wire, what will be the direction of the induced current in the loop and...
  14. M

    How do we know electromagnetic waves are light?

    Per the maxwell equations, we know that em waves travel at the velocity of light, but that is not a sufficient condition to say that electromagnetic waves are light. How do we know that electromagnetic waves are light? They could just be something that has the same velocity as light. Any...
  15. G

    Electromagnetic wave, electromagnetic field and quantas

    As I understand space time fabric is exclusively the Gravitational field according to Einstein.So every field wave or interaction is contained in the Gravitational Field.This fabric of spacetime(gravitational field) is having properties of inertia and elasticity that is why gravitational waves...
  16. T

    Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted By An Accelerating Charge

    Suppose a point charge is slowly oscillating simple harmonically. Does it emit an electromagnet wave and if not why not ? How does its field change with time. Does anyone know of a good animation ? Thanks.
  17. S

    Does electromagnetic radiation react with antimatter?

    And if it does what is the mechanism and can it be used in astronomical spectroscopy?
  18. M

    Electromagnetic waves from a dipole antenna

    Hello, I've been reading up on this topic and have a couple of questions. This videos shows what I am referring to: 1. What makes the electromagnetic waves from a dipol antenna spread out? There would have to be some type of force that pushed them outwards, right? 2. When the electromagnetic...
  19. papercace

    Electromagnetic field acting on a conducting infinite plate

    Homework Statement Consider an electromagnetic field in an empty space in the region ##0 \leq z \leq a## with the following non-zero components: $$E_x = -B_0\frac{\omega a}{\pi}\sin\left(\frac{\pi z}{a}\right)\sin\left( ky-\omega t\right)\\ B_z = B_0\frac{ka}{\pi}\sin\left(\frac{\pi...
  20. Cathr

    Electromagnetic wave equation - phase and amplitude

    There are some things that confuse me about electromagnetic waves, and I haven't found good answers anywhere. Consider the following equation: E=E0 e i(wt-kx) (here E and E0 are vectors, I couldn't find the right symbols). The things that confuse me are the following: 1° We say that the power...
  21. S

    What is the best method for electromagnetic propulsion?

    I mean by the best the one that use the least energy to produce the grater force capable of carrying weights . Say you have a pulley attached to a ceiling with height of 3 meters, around the pulley is a string that attached to a 30 kg weight and on the other side of the string you want to use...
  22. gibberingmouther

    Line Integral for Electromagnetic Force

    http://web.mit.edu/sahughes/www/8.022/lec01.pdf So I'm trying to understand how to get from F = ∫[(Q*λ)*dL*r]/(r^2) to F=∫q*λ*[(xx+ay)/(a^2+x^2)^(3/2)]*dx Like I don't understand why the x and y components of r are negative, or why "The horizontal r component is obviously zero: for every...
  23. enter

    I What is the highest frequency of electromagnetic radiation?

    Title says it all. Also, if the frequency of electromagnetic radiation is limited, why? My guess is the wavelength is limited to the Planck length, and when I plug those numbers into the calculator, I get 1.855 * 10^43 Hz. The maximum (Edit: observed) frequency of a gamma ray is 3 * 10^20 Hz...
  24. P

    How was this formula derived? (Electromagnetic)

    I recently learned about Electric displacement field and capacitors, and I have a question that how was the formula derived shown below (blue circle part)? Thanks!
  25. J

    I Difference between an electromagnetic field and a photon?

    So I'm kind of confused. The way I understand it, an electromagnetic field is just a regular electric field viewed from a relativistic point of view, meaning that since we see the charges moving relative to us, we feel like the particles and the fields created by them come closer together (I...
  26. F

    Electromagnetic Waves: Static Charges & Relativity Predictions

    I have learned about the electric fields of static charges and those of moving charges. From what I gather(although I have not really learned the specifics) when charges are accelerated they emit electromagntic waves which are essentialy an electromagnetic field progagating through space. My...
  27. A

    Electromagnetic Waves — Given E, find B....

    Homework Statement A plane electromagnetic wave travels upward. At t = 0, x = 0, its electric field has the value E = 5 V/m and points eastward. What is the wave's magnetic field at t = 0, x = 0? Homework Equations B=B init. sin(kx-wt) E=E inti. sin(kx-wt) E=cB The Attempt at a Solution I am...
  28. M

    Understanding an electron's emission of electromagnetic waves

    Hi to everybody ! I was thinking about something which confuses me about wave emission. The question is simply the following: Does an electron emit light when it accelerate? or just during its deceleration? or maybe when acceleration and deceleration alternates in some order? I'm not really...
  29. A

    Duration of electromagnetic disturbance

    Let us say I have a moving charge. At each point x,y,z in it's path from understanding there is a transverse electromagnetic wave being radiated (could also be viewed as a photon). The electric field at any point x1,y1,z1 in the path is disturbed. The moving charge does the same thing all...
  30. A

    Do electromagnetic waves have potential and kinetic energy

    Do electromagnetic waves have potential and kinetic energy like springs, strings, etc. If so how are they calculated, inter-related? What is the total energy? Are the energies fluctuating over time? I am a physics hobbyist so generally the first answers should come with the least mathematics...
  31. Mohammad Hunter

    Electromagnetic coil and capacitors vs resistance

    I'm not really sure if this is even scientific but while calculating how much energy is stored in electromagnetic coils and capacitors, pretty much the same formula is used: For electromagnetic coils it's U=0.5LI2 For capacitors it's U=0.5CV2 Why I think they're the same is that in a sense L to...
  32. kolleamm

    Electromagnetic physical force feedback

    I want to create a small pad consisting of two electromagnets that repel and attract each other, this can give the feeling that something is pushing up against your skin if held. Is this a practical idea?
  33. Y

    Electromagnetic waves and other waves

    Hello everybody, I am new here :) what exactly is the energy of the wave? how to think about it generally, in electromagnetic waves and in relation to amplitude? I can think about the kinetic or potential energy that a particle can get from that kind of wave or the sum of all such energy in all...
  34. EF17xx

    Electromagnetic induction emf question

    Homework Statement The correct answer is D Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution The current is clockwise( in the first picture at least) due to right hand rule. The magnetic flux is changing, the direction of the induced emf depends on the direction of change (increase or...
  35. P

    Direction of electromagnetic field

    Homework Statement [/B]In this question, it asks for the magnetic field associated with the electromagnetic wave. Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution The magnetic field is perpendicular to Electric field but it can be in either x or z direction...how do I choose the direction.I
  36. MermaidWonders

    MHB What is the current in a wire loop outside a solenoid with a changing current?

    A 2000-turn solenoid is 2.0 m long and 15 cm in diameter. The solenoid current is increasing at 1.0 kA/s. (a) Find the current in the 10-cm-diameter wire loop with resistance 5.0 $\varOmega$ lying inside the solenoid and perpendicular to the solenoid axis. (b) Repeat for a similarly-oriented...
  37. MattIverson

    Electromagnetic Radiation of Single frequency Incident on a Slab

    Homework Statement The problem is state in the attachment. Homework Equations None to add. 3. The Attempt at a Solution Struggling with this problem because of the phasor part of it. Perhaps this is justified because the angle is very small and so that relates to a low frequency? Is it...
  38. P

    An Electromagnetic wave goes from air into a medium....

    Homework Statement An EM wave from air enters a medium. The electric fields are --> ^ E1 = E01 cos(2πv(z/c-t) x --> ^ E2 =E02cos(k(2z-ct)x in a medium ,where the wave number k and frequency v refer to their value in air.the medium...
  39. sweet springs

    Electromagnetic field and frequency

    Electromagnetism gives the energy density ##\frac{\epsilon_0}{2}E^2+\frac{1}{2\mu_0}B^2##. It does not include frequency ##\nu## or ##\omega## at least explicitly that QM or photon needs. For an example static electric field has nothing to do with frequency but has energy. How should I...
  40. C

    How an oscillator creates electromagnetic waves

    Homework Statement A cell phone sends and receives electromagnetic waves in the microwave frequency range. Explain the physics of how an oscillator creates these waves. Homework Equations n/a The Attempt at a Solution An electromagnetic wave is created by the functioning of the oscillator...
  41. A

    Electromagnetic Tensor: Calculating $\det{F^{\mu}}_\nu$

    Homework Statement Given an electromagnetic tensor ##F^{\mu\nu}##, showing that: $$\det{F^{\mu}}_\nu=-(\vec{B}\cdot\vec{E})^2$$ Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I had only the (stupid) idea of writing explictly the matrix associated with the electromagnetic tensor and calculating...
  42. S

    Jump conditions for electric field across an interface

    Hi, I have some confusion about the jump conditions for an electric field across an interface between two materials with different properties. In general, we have the two jump conditions across an interface: n.(ɛE)+ - n.(ɛE)- = σ...
  43. S

    Is Poynting vector the electromagnetic density of momentum?

    I learned that the Poynting vector was the electromagnetic density of momentum but recently, while reading the Electromagnetic_stress–energy_tensor article at Wikipedia, I thought about the implications of the momentum conservation equation and arrived to an inconsistency, this equation is...
  44. S

    When was it proven that light is an electromagnetic wave?

    I know that Maxwell discovered that a disturbance in the electromagnetic field propagates at the speed of light - which Occam's razor would say that light being such a wave would explain it - but not definitively that that is true (e.g., gravity waves, or at least at that time in history, some...
  45. G

    Converting Electromagnetic Units: Gaussian to Superfluous Systems

    Recently, I tried to convert an energy density ##\frac{gram}{cm^3}## into ##(\frac{Volt}{cm})^2##. I faced some problems originating from the introduction of the superfluous unit ##Ampere## and its descendants in the system of units. On one hand, there are the transparent Gaussian units, in...
  46. Humbleness

    Electromagnetic Induction Problem (Very Introductory)

    Homework Statement Look at the following diagram: - copy the diagram and then label the poles for the induced magnetic field and the direction of the induced current - explain what would happen to the magnetic field and the current if the direction of motion of the magnet reversed - explain...
  47. V

    Doubt in electromagnetic induction

    Homework Statement suppose a coil is placed in a changing magnetic field and the circuit is not closed will the current induce in the coil Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution What I thought was that the current flows only in a closed circuit because it needs a potential difference...
  48. A

    Maxwell Ampere law capacitor problem

    Good day All! I have an issue solving this question According to my basic understanding, the displacement current goes from the positive plate to the negative plate, so whether the capacitor is charging or discharging the magnetic field direction should remain the same, but here is the the...
  49. F

    Electromagnetic force on particles forming a square

    Homework Statement [/B] (a) At each corner of a square is a particle with charge q. Fixed at the center of the square is a point charge of opposite sign, of magnitude Q. What value must Q have to make the total force on each of the four particles zero? (b) With Q taking on the value you just...
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