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rmberwin
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I saw an example of a hypothetical EM wave that had constant E and B fields. Is that possible? How would it be produced? And wouldn't such a wave have an infinite wavelength?
rmberwin said:I saw an example of a hypothetical EM wave that had constant E and B fields. Is that possible? How would it be produced? And wouldn't such a wave have an infinite wavelength?
rmberwin said:I saw it in one of the standard texts. I agree that technically there is no wave. But it is an electromagnetic disturbance, traveling at the speed of light. But if there's no wavelength, what is the color of the light?
rmberwin said:I saw it in one of the standard texts
rmberwin said:I saw it in one of the standard texts.
EM waves, short for electromagnetic waves, are a form of energy that is transmitted through space in the form of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. They are created by the movement of charged particles and can travel through a vacuum.
Yes, all EM waves are sinusoidal, meaning they have a repeating pattern that can be represented by a sine wave. This is because they are created by the oscillation of electric and magnetic fields, which have sinusoidal properties.
The sinusoidal nature of EM waves allows them to have a wide range of frequencies and wavelengths, making them versatile for various applications such as communication, energy transmission, and medical imaging. It also allows for easy mathematical analysis and understanding of their behavior.
While all EM waves are fundamentally sinusoidal, they can be modified or manipulated to exhibit other properties. For example, by combining multiple sinusoidal waves, complex waveforms can be created. Additionally, in certain situations, such as near strong sources of radiation or in non-linear media, EM waves can exhibit non-sinusoidal behavior.
The frequency of an EM wave is directly related to its wavelength and both are inversely related to the speed of light. This means that as the frequency increases, the wavelength decreases, and vice versa. This relationship is described by the equation c = λf, where c is the speed of light, λ is the wavelength, and f is the frequency. Since sinusoidal waves have a repeating pattern, their frequency and wavelength are closely linked.