Electric Field vs Magnetic Field vs Electromagnetic waves

AI Thread Summary
Electric fields and magnetic fields are generally considered static or slowly varying, while electromagnetic waves consist of these fields oscillating at specific frequencies. The relationship between electric and magnetic fields is that they are coupled components of electromagnetic waves. Understanding that electromagnetic waves are three-dimensional helps clarify how these fields interact to form waves. The discussion emphasizes the need for accurate visualization of these concepts to grasp their dynamics better. Overall, electric and magnetic fields are integral to the formation of electromagnetic waves, which exhibit distinct characteristics based on their frequency.
Jewish_Vulcan
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How are all of the above fields different from each other what makes them what they are?Any comments would be appreciated.
 
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They are all aspects of the same thing. Colloquially speaking electric fields usually implies static electric fields that do not vary in time (or that vary only very slowly), same for magnetic fields. Colloquially speaking about electromagnetic waves implies that the fields vary with some frequency.

Of course electromagnetic waves are composed of electric and magnetic field components that are coupled...
 
M Quack said:
They are all aspects of the same thing. Colloquially speaking electric fields usually implies static electric fields that do not vary in time (or that vary only very slowly), same for magnetic fields. Colloquially speaking about electromagnetic waves implies that the fields vary with some frequency.

Of course electromagnetic waves are composed of electric and magnetic field components that are coupled...
Your explanation is a little vague for me to understand,so correct me if I'm wrong but are electric and magnetic fields an electromagnetic wave with different frequencies?
 
A field determines what a test particle would report for all positions in the field. A magnetic test particle is not an electric charge test particle and they will not be affected by the other field.

A radiation field is described by a radiation detector. A gravity field is described by a gravity detector. And so on.
 
Just be careful how you internally visualize the generation of waves.
 

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