Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a form of energy that surrounds us and takes many forms such as radio waves, microwave, X-ray and gamma rays. Sunlight is also a form of EM energy, but visible light is only a small part of the EM spectrum and contains a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths.
Electricity and magnetism used to be thought of as separate entities. In 1873, however, the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell developed a unified theory of electromagnetism. The study of electromagnetism is concerned with how electrically charged particles interact with each other and with magnetic fields.
What is Electromagnetism?
Electromagnetism is the science of charge and the forces and fields associated with charge. Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of electromagnetism. For a long time it was thought that electricity and magnetism were separate forces. It was not until the 19th century that both were finally treated as connected phenomena. Einstein’s special theory of relativity was established in 1905 and states that both are common phenomena. However, at a practical level, electric and magnetic forces behave very differently and are described by different equations. Electrical forces are generated by electrical charges either at rest or in motion. Magnetic forces, on the other hand, are only generated by moving charges and only affect moving charges.Applications
There are many applications of electromagnetism.- It serves as the basic operating principle for many household appliances.
- Maglev trains or high-speed trains work on the principle of electromagnetism.
- We use electromagnetic radiation in the communication system to transmit data from the source to the receiver.
- In industries ranging from small to large power plants, we use electromagnetism in at least one phase of their work.