iii.

Literature review
THE CONCEPT OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC
Electromagnetism, science of charge and of the forces and fields
associated with charge. Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of
electromagnetism.

ASPECTS OF
ELECTROMAGNETISM

ELECTRICITY
MAGNETISM
Electricity and magnetism were long thought to be separate forces. It was
not until the 19th century that they were finally treated as interrelated
phenomena.
In 1905 Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity established beyond a
doubt that both are aspects of one common phenomenon.
At a practical level, however, electric and magnetic forces behave quite
differently and are described by different equations.
Electric forces are produced by electric charges either at rest or
in motion.
Magnetic forces, on the other hand, are produced only by moving
charges and act solely on charges in motion.
 Electric and magnetic forces can be detected in regions
called electric and magnetic fields.

These fields are fundamental in nature and can exist in space

far from the charge or current that generated them.
Remarkably, electric fields can produce magnetic fields and
vice versa, independent of any external charge.

A changing magnetic field produces an electric field, as

the English physicist Michael Faraday discovered
in workthat forms the basis of electric power generation.
Conversely, a changing electric field produces a magnetic
field, as the Scottish physicist James Clerk
Maxwell deduced.
The mathematical equations formulated by Maxwell
incorporated light and wave phenomena into
electromagnetism. He showed that electric and magnetic
fields travel together through space as waves
of electromagnetic radiation, with the changing fields
mutually sustaining each other.
 Examples of electromagnetic waves traveling
through space

 It is independent of matter  All of these waves travel at the same

are radio and television speed—namely, the velocity of
waves, microwaves, infrared rays, light (roughly 300,000 kilometres, or
visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, 186,000 miles, per second).
and gamma rays.

 They differ from each other only in the frequency at which

their electric and magnetic fields oscillate.
 vii. CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION

The existence of electromagnetic waves depends on the interaction between electric and
magnetic fields. Maxwellpostulated that a time-varying electric field produces a magnetic
field. His theory predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves in which each time-
varying field produces the other field.
For example, radio waves are generated by electronic circuits known as oscillators that
cause rapidly oscillating currents to flow in antennas; the rapidly varying magnetic field
has an associated varying electric field. The result is the emission of radio waves into
space (seeelectromagnetic radiation: Generation of electromagnetic radiation).