Electromagnetism and Light | Physics

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The module gives an overview of the electromagnetic nature of light and its properties, as predicted by Maxwell’s mathematical model."> <meta name="keywords" content="science, education, STEM, math, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, online learning"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, shrink-to-fit=no"> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="D8E20F39AD48052260032E56DE409970"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://visionlearning.com/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138" }, "name": "Electromagnetism and Light", "headline": "Electromagnetism and Light: Introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Page Stites, M.A./M.S." }, "datePublished": "2007-01-19 11:23:04", "dateModified": "2017-02-12T08:30:00+05:00", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/img/library/moduleImages/featured_image_138-23061210060920.jpeg", "width": 696, "height": 464 }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Visionlearning, Inc.", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "http://visionlearning.com/images/logo.png", "width": 278, "height": 60 } }, "description": "The study of electricity and magnetism were artfully united in John Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism. This module explores the experimental connection between electricity and magnetism, beginning with the work of Oersted, Ampere, and Faraday. The module gives an overview of the electromagnetic nature of light and its properties, as predicted by Maxwell’s mathematical model.", "keywords": "science, education, STEM, math, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, online learning", "inLanguage": { "@type": "Language", "name": "English", "alternateName": "en" }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Visionlearning, Inc." }, "copyrightYear": "2007"} </script> <meta property="og:url" content="https://visionlearning.com/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138"> <meta property="og:title" content="Electromagnetism and Light | Physics | Visionlearning" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Visionlearning"> <meta property="og:description" content="The study of electricity and magnetism were artfully united in John Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism. This module explores the experimental connection between electricity and magnetism, beginning with the work of Oersted, Ampere, and Faraday. 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href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/exponential-equations-ii/210">Exponential Equations II</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/scientific-notation/250">Scientific Notation</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/measurement/257">Measurement</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-statistics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-statistics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Statistics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-statistics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-statistics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/introduction-to-descriptive-statistics/218">Introduction to Descriptive Statistics</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/introduction-to-inferential-statistics/224">Introduction to Inferential Statistics</a></li> <li><a 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role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-light-and-optics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-light-and-optics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Light and Optics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-light-and-optics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-light-and-optics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/the-nature-of-light/132">The Nature of Light</a></li> <li class="current">Electromagnetism and Light</li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-mechanics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-mechanics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Mechanics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-mechanics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-mechanics" role="region"> <ul class="nav 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href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/the-how-and-why-of-scientific-meetings/186">The How and Why of Scientific Meetings</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientists-and-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientists-and-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientists and Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientists-and-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientists-and-research" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientific-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientific-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientific Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientific-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientific-research" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/collaborative-research-in-the-arctic-towards-understanding-climate-change/183">Collaborative Research in the Arctic Towards Understanding Climate Change</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/from-stable-chromosomes-to-jumping-genes/184">From Stable Chromosomes to Jumping Genes</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/an-elegant-experiment-to-test-the-process-of-dna-replication/187">An Elegant Experiment to Test the Process of DNA Replication</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/the-founding-of-neuroscience/233">The Founding of Neuroscience</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/tracking-endangered-jaguars-across-the-border/189">Tracking Endangered Jaguars across the Border</a></li> <li><a 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href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232">Luis E. Miramontes</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/bernardo-houssay/237">Bernardo Houssay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/craig-lee/256">Craig Lee</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/david-ho/241">David Ho</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/louis-tompkins-wright/244">Louis Tompkins Wright</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/carlos-j.-finlay/217">Carlos J. Finlay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/cecilia-payne/290">Cecilia Payne</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/jazmin-scarlett/291">Jazmin Scarlett</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ramari-stewart/292">Ramari Stewart</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/johnson-cerda/300">Johnson Cerda</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ellen-ochoa/201">Ellen Ochoa</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ruth-benerito/205">Ruth Benerito</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/franklin-chang-díaz/219">Franklin Chang Díaz</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/percy-lavon-julian/221">Percy Lavon Julian</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-walter-alvarez/229">Luis Walter Alvarez</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/france-anne-dominic-córdova/230">France Anne-Dominic Córdova</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li>  <button class="button" data-toggle="dropdown">Physics </button> <div class="nav__dropdown box-shadow-1 padding-1"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary font-size-sm"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-sub-button-light-and-optics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-sub-panel-light-and-optics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Light and Optics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-sub-panel-light-and-optics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-sub-button-light-and-optics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/the-nature-of-light/132">The Nature of Light</a></li> <li class="current">Electromagnetism and Light</li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-sub-button-mechanics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-sub-panel-mechanics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Mechanics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-sub-panel-mechanics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-sub-button-mechanics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/defining-energy/199">Defining Energy</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/waves-and-wave-motion/102">Waves and Wave Motion</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/gravity/118">Gravity</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/thermodynamics-i/200">Thermodynamics I</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </nav>  <div id="theTop"></div> <main id="skip-header-content"> <div class="margin-bottom-5"> <article class="container wide module"> <header class="grid grid--sidebar-right module__header"> <div class="module__header__title"> <span class="subcategory"> <strong><em>Light and Optics</em></strong> </span> <h1>Electromagnetism and Light: <sub><em>Introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum</em></sub></h1> <p class="byline">by Nathaniel Page Stites, M.A./M.S.</p> <nav class="module__header__tabs"> <ul class="tabs-nav tabs-nav--horizontal library"> <li> <a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138/reading" aria-current="page" >Reading</a> </li> <li> <a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138/quiz">Quiz</a> </li> <li> <a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138/resources">Teach with this</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "AudioObject", "contentUrl": "https://www.visionlearning.com/img/library/moduleAudio/module_138.mp3", "description": "Recording of Electromagnetism and Light : The study of electricity and magnetism were artfully united in John Clerk Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism. This module explores the experimental connection between electricity and magnetism, beginning with the work of Oersted, Ampere, and Faraday. The module gives an overview of the electromagnetic nature of light and its properties, as predicted by Maxwell’s mathematical model.", "encodingFormat": "mp3", "name": "module_138.mp3" } </script> <div class="module_header_audio"> <div class="audio-player border border-radius"> <audio id="audio"> <source src="https://www.visionlearning.com/img/library/moduleAudio/module_138.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> <div class="audio-player__title"> <p>Listen to this reading</p> <span class="audio-player__timestamp" id="timestamp"> 00:00 </span> </div> <div class="audio-player__controls" id="controls"> <button class="button button--icon-only" id="play-pause-button"> <span class="icon icon-play" aria-hidden="true"></span> </button> <div class="audio-player__progress" id="progress-bar" tabindex="0" aria-valuemin="0" aria-valuemax="100" aria-valuenow="0" aria-label="Use arrow keys to forward or rewind the audio" role="slider"> <div class="audio-player__progress__fill"> <span class="audio-player__thumb"></span> </div> </div> <div class="audio-player__volume-container"> <button id="mute-button"> <span class="icon icon-volume"></span> </button> <div class="audio-player__volume" tabindex="0" aria-valuemin="0" aria-valuemax="100" aria-valuenow="100" aria-label="Use arrow keys to adjust volume" role="slider"> <div class="audio-player__volume__fill"> <span class="audio-player__thumb"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <hr class="divider"/>   <div class="grid grid--sidebar-right grid--divider"> <div class="order-2 order-1--lg module__main"> <div class="narrow margin-x-auto margin-y-5"> <div class="accordion margin-bottom-5">  <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-key-concepts" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-key-concepts" aria-expanded="true" tabindex="0"> Did you know? </button> <div class="accordion__panel shown show" id="acc-panel-key-concepts" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-key-concepts" role="region"> <div class="accordion__panel__content"> <p>Did you know that visible light is no different in its form from microwaves, radio waves, or X-rays? Throughout the nineteenth century, scientists dedicated themselves to the study electricity and magnetism. James Clerk Maxwell unified these two ideas in his theory of “electromagnetism” and demonstrated that light was just another form of electromagnetic radiation.</p> </div> </div>  <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-table-of-contents" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-table-of-contents" aria-expanded="false" tabindex="0"> Key concepts </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-table-of-contents" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-table-of-contents" role="region" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="accordion__panel__content"> <ul class="bulleted"> <li><p>In the mid-1800s, scientists including Andre Ampere and Michael Faraday noted a connection between electricity and magnetism and carried out a series of experiments that showed how they interact.</p></li> <li><p>James Clerk Maxwell built on the work of Faraday and developed a single set of equations defining both electricity and magnetism, unifying the concepts into one theory of electromagnetism.</p></li> <li><p>We now know that the electromagnetic spectrum is made up of a series of waves of varying wavelength and visible light is just one small portion of this spectrum.</p></li> </ul> </div> </div>  <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-terms-you-should-know" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-terms-you-should-know" aria-expanded="false" tabindex="0"> Terms you should know </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-terms-you-should-know" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-terms-you-should-know" role="region" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="accordion__panel__content"> <dl> <dt><a href="/en/glossary/view/current">current </a></dt> <dd> flow of electricity </dd> <dt><a href="/en/glossary/view/magnetism">magnetism </a></dt> <dd> forces of attraction or repulsion between objects </dd> <dt>wave </dt> <dd> a motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation</dd> </dl> </div> </div> </div> <hr class="border-color-dark" /> <section> <div class="container narrow"> <p>In 1873, seventy years after <mark class="term" data-term="Thomas Young" data-term-def="English physicist and physician, born in Milverton, Somerset (1773-1829). Young's experiments with deflecting light showed interference patterns, proving that light is&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Young%2C+Thomas/4514">Thomas Young</mark> presented his experimental results on the nature of <mark class="term" data-term="light" data-term-def="A form of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is that associated with stimulating the organs of sight, which for normal human&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/light/1498">light</mark> (see our <a href="/library/module_viewer.php?mid=132">Light I: Particle or Wave?</a> module), a Scottish physicist named <mark class="term" data-term="James Clerk Maxwell" data-term-def="Scottish theoretical physicist and mathematician born in Edinburgh (1831-1879). Maxwell developed the classical electromagnetic theory, which synthesized previously unrelated observations, experiments,&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Maxwell%2C+James+Clerk/4558">James Clerk Maxwell</mark> published a <mark class="term" data-term="theory" data-term-def="A scientific theory is an explanation inferred from multiple lines of evidence for some broad aspect of the natural world and&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/theory/4854">theory</mark> that accounted for the physical origins of light. Throughout the nineteenth century, many of science's greatest minds dedicated themselves to the study of two exciting new ideas: electricity and <mark class="term" data-term="magnetism" data-term-def="Forces of attraction or repulsion between objects." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/magnetism/8279">magnetism</mark>. Maxwell's work synthesized these two ideas, which had previously been considered separate phenomena. His new theory was aptly named a theory of <em>electromagnetism</em>.</p> <p><section id="toc_1" class=""> <h2>Early experiments in electricity and magnetism</h2></p> <p>The earliest experimental connection between electricity and <mark class="term" data-term="magnetism" data-term-def="Forces of attraction or repulsion between objects." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/magnetism/8279">magnetism</mark> came in the 1820s from the work of the Danish physicist <mark class="term" data-term="Hans Christian Oersted" data-term-def="Danish physicist and chemist born in Langeland (1777-1851). He experimentally demonstrated the relationship between electricity and magnetism." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Oersted%2C+Hans+Christian/4543">Hans Christian Oersted</mark>. Oersted discovered that a wire carrying electric <mark class="term" data-term="current" data-term-def="a flow, as of electricity or water. In oceanography and hydrology, a channel of water that flows together at the same velocity" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/current/8278">current</mark> could deflect the needle of a magnetic compass. This planted the seed for <mark class="term" data-term="Andre Ampere" data-term-def="French mathematician born in Poleymieux, Lyon (1775-1836). Ampere researched metaphysics, physics, and chemistry, but he focused on mathematics, which he taught&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Ampere%2C+Andre/4474">Andre Ampere</mark>, a French physicist, to demonstrate that two current-carrying wires would interact with each other due to the magnetic field that they generated. Ampere found that two long, straight wires carrying current in the same direction would attract each other, and two wires carrying current in opposite directions would <mark class="term" data-term="repel" data-term-def="To drive away, to force back, to resist, to ward off." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/repel/8531">repel</mark> each other (click on the Interactive Animation links for a demonstration). Ultimately, Ampere formulated a general expression – called Ampere's <mark class="term" data-term="law" data-term-def="In science, a principle that describes a phenomenon, often mathematically." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/law/8686">Law</mark> – for determining the magnetic field created by any distribution of electric currents.</p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="video" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/objects/video/video_13821.mp4"> <video src="/img/library/objects/video/video_13821.mp4" alt="Demonstration of wires carrying current in the same direction" /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Video 1:</strong></p> <p> Demonstration of wires carrying current in the same direction </p> <span class="credit">video ©Courtesy of John Belcher, MIT</span> <span class="credit"></span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="video" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/objects/video/video_13822.mp4"> <video src="/img/library/objects/video/video_13822.mp4" alt="Demonstration of wires carrying current in opposite directions." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Video 2:</strong></p> <p> Demonstration of wires carrying current in opposite directions. </p> <span class="credit">video ©John Belcher, MIT</span> <span class="credit"></span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Ampere's important contributions to <mark class="term" data-term="magnetism" data-term-def="Forces of attraction or repulsion between objects." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/magnetism/8279">magnetism</mark> and electricity led other scientists to conduct <mark class="term" data-term="experiment" data-term-def="A test or trial carried out under controlled conditions so that specific actions can be performed and the results can be observed." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/experiment/8292">experiments</mark> that probed the relationship between these two cutting-edge areas of nineteenth century physics. For example, in 1831, <mark class="term" data-term="Michael Faraday" data-term-def="British chemist and physicist born in London (1791-1867). In 1831, Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction, the principle by which electric transformers and&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Faraday%2C+Michael/4515">Michael Faraday</mark> discovered that a change in the magnetic field passing through a loop of wire creates a <mark class="term" data-term="current" data-term-def="a flow, as of electricity or water. In oceanography and hydrology, a channel of water that flows together at the same velocity" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/current/8278">current</mark> in the wire (see the next Interactive Animation). Faraday, an English physicist with almost no formal mathematical training, had observed that passing a bar magnet through a coil of wire created an electric current. Similarly, moving a coil of wire in the vicinity of a stationary magnet also produced electric current. Faraday hypothesized that somehow the magnet "induced" the current in the wire, and named the phenomenon "induction." Faraday's name is still associated with this idea, in the form of "Faraday's <mark class="term" data-term="law" data-term-def="In science, a principle that describes a phenomenon, often mathematically." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/law/8686">Law</mark>," which, put simply, says that <em>a changing magnetic field produces an electric field.</em></p><p><iframe src="https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/faradays-law/latest/faradays-law_en.html" width="800" height="600" allowfullscreen=""> </iframe></p> <p><strong>Demonstration of Faraday's Inductor</strong></p><p>Today, the <mark class="term" data-term="principle" data-term-def="In the sciences, a principle is a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth. For instance, one of the most basic&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/principle/5289">principle</mark> behind Faraday's <mark class="term" data-term="law" data-term-def="In science, a principle that describes a phenomenon, often mathematically." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/law/8686">Law</mark> is at work in electrical generators. Using some <mark class="term" data-term="mechanical" data-term-def="Involving physical force or motion." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/mechanical/8516">mechanical</mark> source of <mark class="term" data-term="energy" data-term-def="An abstract property defined as the capacity to do work. The basic forms of energy include chemical, electrical, mechanical, nuclear, and&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/energy/1497">energy</mark> (such as a hand crank, a windmill, the <mark class="term" data-term="force" data-term-def="An influence (a "push or pull") that changes the motion of a moving object (e.g., slows it down, speeds it up,&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/force/883">force</mark> of falling water, or steam from boiling water) to spin a turbine, magnets inside the generator spin next to a large coil of wire. As the magnets spin, the magnetic field that passes through the wire loop changes. This changing "magnetic flux" establishes an "induced" <mark class="term" data-term="current" data-term-def="a flow, as of electricity or water. In oceanography and hydrology, a channel of water that flows together at the same velocity" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/current/8278">current</mark> in the wire and mechanical energy becomes electrical energy. (See the Interactive Animation of a Simple Electric Current Generator.)</p> <a class="interactive-animation" href="https://www.visionlearning.com/library/animations/Generator/index.html" target="_blank"> <img class="interactive-animation__image" src="/images/anim-snaps/ia-generator.png" width="200" alt="A Simple Electric Current Generator" /> <p class="interactive-animation__title"> <em>Interactive Animation:</em> <strong class="link-new-window"> <span class="link__text">A Simple Electric Current Generator</span> </strong> </p> </a> <p>Over 40 years after Faraday, <mark class="term" data-term="James Clerk Maxwell" data-term-def="Scottish theoretical physicist and mathematician born in Edinburgh (1831-1879). Maxwell developed the classical electromagnetic theory, which synthesized previously unrelated observations, experiments,&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Maxwell%2C+James+Clerk/4558">James Clerk Maxwell</mark>, based on little more than an intuitive feeling for the symmetry of physical <mark class="term" data-term="law" data-term-def="In science, a principle that describes a phenomenon, often mathematically." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/law/8686">laws</mark>, speculated that the converse of Faraday's Law must also be true: <em>a changing electric field produces a magnetic field</em>. When Maxwell took the work of Ampere and Faraday and incorporated his new idea, he was able to derive a set of equations (originally there were twenty equations, but now they have been simplified to just four) that completely unified the concepts of electric and magnetic fields into one mathematical <mark class="term" data-term="model" data-term-def="A representation, pattern, or mathematical description that can help scientists replicate a system." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/model/8236">model</mark>. </p> <div class="comprehension-checkpoint margin-y-4"> <h6 class="comprehension-checkpoint__header"> <span> <span class="icon icon-question"></span> </span> Comprehension Checkpoint </h6> <form class="" name="cc11205"> <div class="form-entry"> <div class="form-entry__field"> <span class="form-entry__field__label">Which of the following describes an induced current?</span> <div class="form-entry__option"> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="correct"> <label> <input id="q1-11205-0-option-a" name="quiz-option-11205" type="radio" value="A magnetic compass placed near an electrical wire produces a current." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">a.</span> A magnetic compass placed near an electrical wire produces a current. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-11205-0"> <strong>Correct!</strong> </span> </div> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="incorrect"> <label> <input id="q1-11205-1-option-b" name="quiz-option-11205" type="radio" value="Mechanical energy becomes electrical energy." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">b.</span> Mechanical energy becomes electrical energy. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-11205-1"> <strong>Incorrect.</strong> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </section> <section id="toc_2"> <h2>Electromagnetic waves</h2><p>After developing his now-famous equations, Maxwell and other physicists began exploring their implications and testing their predictions. One prediction that came from Maxwell's equations was that a <mark class="term" data-term="charge" data-term-def="A quantity of electricity." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/charge/8258">charge</mark> moving back and forth in a periodic fashion would create an oscillating electric field. This electric field would then set up a periodically changing magnetic field, which in turn would cause the original electric field to continue its oscillation, and so on. This mutual vibration allowed the electric and magnetic fields to travel through space in the form of an "electromagnetic wave," as shown in Figure 1.</p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox=""> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid138/Image/VLObject-3493-051220091214.gif" alt="Figure 1: An electromagnetic wave." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 1:</strong> An electromagnetic wave.</p> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Because this new mathematical <mark class="term" data-term="model" data-term-def="A representation, pattern, or mathematical description that can help scientists replicate a system." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/model/8236">model</mark> of electromagnetism described a wave, physicists were able to imagine that <mark class="term" data-term="electromagnetic radiation" data-term-def="A series of waves that are propagated by simultaneous, periodic variations of electrical and magnetic fields. Examples of electromagnetic radiation include&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/electromagnetic+radiation/1501">electromagnetic radiation</mark> could take on the properties of <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves/8274">waves</mark>. Thus, just like all <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation.">waves</mark>, Maxwell's electromagnetic waves could have a range of <mark class="term" data-term="wavelength" data-term-def="The distance between corresponding points on two successive waves, generally measured from crest to crest." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/wavelength/1500">wavelengths</mark> and corresponding frequencies (see our <a href="/library/module_viewer.php?mid=102">Wave Motion</a> module for more information on waves). This range of wavelengths is now known as the "electromagnetic <mark class="term" data-term="spectrum" data-term-def="(plural: <b>spectra</b>) A continuing range such as of color or frequency; a series of colors arranged by wavelength as in a rainbow." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/spectrum/8261">spectrum</mark>." Maxwell's <mark class="term" data-term="theory" data-term-def="A scientific theory is an explanation inferred from multiple lines of evidence for some broad aspect of the natural world and&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/theory/4854">theory</mark> also predicted that all of the waves in the spectrum travel at a characteristic speed of approximately 300,000,000 meters per second. Maxwell was able to calculate this speed from his equations:</p><div class="figure"><figure> $$c = \frac{1}{\sqrt{\epsilon_0 \mu_0}} = 2.998 \times 10^8 m/s$$ </figure></div> <p>where</p> <div class="figure"><figure> $$c = \text{ speed of the electromagnetic wave}$$ </figure></div><div class="figure"><figure> $$\epsilon_0 = \text{ permittivity of free space } (8.854 \times 10^{-12} F/m)$$ </figure></div><figiure> $$\mu_0 = \text{ permeability of free space }(4\pi \times 10^{-7} N/A^2)$$ </figiure><p>Maxwell's calculation of the speed of an electromagnetic wave included two important constants: the permittivity and permeability of free space. The permittivity of free space is also known as the "electric constant" and describes the strength of the <mark class="term" data-term="electrical force" data-term-def="A fundamental force produced by the interaction of electrical charges. Sometimes called the ‘electromagnetic’ force, electrical force is several billion times&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/electrical+force/1528">electrical force</mark> between two charged <mark class="term" data-term="particle" data-term-def="A tiny piece of matter." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/particle/8259">particles</mark> in a vacuum. The permeability of free space is the magnetic analogue of the electric <mark class="term" data-term="constant" data-term-def="In mathematics, a quantity that has a fixed value; something that does not vary." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/constant/8557">constant</mark>. It describes the strength of the magnetic <mark class="term" data-term="force" data-term-def="An influence (a "push or pull") that changes the motion of a moving object (e.g., slows it down, speeds it up,&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/force/883">force</mark> on an object in a magnetic field. Thus, the speed of an electromagnetic wave comes directly from a fundamental consideration of electricity and <mark class="term" data-term="magnetism" data-term-def="Forces of attraction or repulsion between objects." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/magnetism/8279">magnetism</mark>.</p><p>When Maxwell calculated this speed, he realized that it was extremely close to the measured <mark class="term" data-term="value" data-term-def="A number that is assigned based on measurement or a calculation. In mathematics, an unknown value that is commonly represented by&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/value/8254">value</mark> for the speed of <mark class="term" data-term="light" data-term-def="A form of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is that associated with stimulating the organs of sight, which for normal human&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/light/1498">light</mark>, which had been known for centuries from detailed astronomical <mark class="term" data-term="observation" data-term-def="1. The act of noticing something. 2. A record of that which has been noticed." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/observation/8255">observations</mark>. After Maxwell's equations became widely known, the Polish-American physicist <mark class="term" data-term="Albert Michelson" data-term-def="American physicist, born in Strelno, Prussia (1852-1931). He is remembered for his work in optics, particularly for his early, extremely accurate&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Michelson%2C+Albert/4475">Albert Michelson</mark> made a very precise measurement of the speed of light that was in extremely close agreement with Maxwell's predicted value. This was too much for Maxwell to accept as coincidence, and led him to the realization that light was an electromagnetic wave and thus part of the electromagnetic <mark class="term" data-term="spectrum" data-term-def="(plural: <b>spectra</b>) A continuing range such as of color or frequency; a series of colors arranged by wavelength as in a rainbow." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/spectrum/8261">spectrum</mark>.</p> <div class="comprehension-checkpoint margin-y-4"> <h6 class="comprehension-checkpoint__header"> <span> <span class="icon icon-question"></span> </span> Comprehension Checkpoint </h6> <form class="" name="cc11207"> <div class="form-entry"> <div class="form-entry__field"> <span class="form-entry__field__label">All electromagnetic waves travel at approximately</span> <div class="form-entry__option"> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="correct"> <label> <input id="q1-11207-0-option-a" name="quiz-option-11207" type="radio" value="the speed of light." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">a.</span> the speed of light. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-11207-0"> <strong>Correct!</strong> </span> </div> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="incorrect"> <label> <input id="q1-11207-1-option-b" name="quiz-option-11207" type="radio" value="half the speed of light." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">b.</span> half the speed of light. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-11207-1"> <strong>Incorrect.</strong> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </section> <section id="toc_3"> <h2>The electromagnetic spectrum</h2><p>As scientists and engineers began to explore the implications of Maxwell's <mark class="term" data-term="theory" data-term-def="A scientific theory is an explanation inferred from multiple lines of evidence for some broad aspect of the natural world and&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/theory/4854">theory</mark>, they performed <mark class="term" data-term="experiment" data-term-def="A test or trial carried out under controlled conditions so that specific actions can be performed and the results can be observed." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/experiment/8292">experiments</mark> that verified the existence of the different regions, or groups of <mark class="term" data-term="wavelength" data-term-def="The distance between corresponding points on two successive waves, generally measured from crest to crest." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/wavelength/1500">wavelengths</mark>, of the electromagnetic <mark class="term" data-term="spectrum" data-term-def="(plural: <b>spectra</b>) A continuing range such as of color or frequency; a series of colors arranged by wavelength as in a rainbow." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/spectrum/8261">spectrum</mark>. As practical uses for these regions of the spectrum developed, they acquired now-familiar names, like "radio <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves/8274">waves</mark>," and "X-rays." The longest wavelength <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation.">waves</mark> predicted by Maxwell's theory are longer than 1 meter, and this band of the electromagnetic spectrum is known as radio waves. The shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves are called gamma rays, and have wavelengths shorter than 10 picometers (1 trillion times shorter than radio waves).</p><p>Between these two extremes lies a tiny band of <mark class="term" data-term="wavelength" data-term-def="The distance between corresponding points on two successive waves, generally measured from crest to crest." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/wavelength/1500">wavelengths</mark> ranging from 400 to 700 nanometers. <mark class="term" data-term="electromagnetic radiation" data-term-def="A series of waves that are propagated by simultaneous, periodic variations of electrical and magnetic fields. Examples of electromagnetic radiation include&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/electromagnetic+radiation/1501">Electromagnetic radiation</mark> in this range is what we call "light," but it is no different in form from radio <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves/8274">waves</mark>, gamma rays, or any of the other electromagnetic <mark class="term" data-term="waves" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/waves" data-term-def="The motion of rising and falling in curves; undulation.">waves</mark> we now know exist. The only thing unique about this portion of the electromagnetic <mark class="term" data-term="spectrum" data-term-def="(plural: <b>spectra</b>) A continuing range such as of color or frequency; a series of colors arranged by wavelength as in a rainbow." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/spectrum/8261">spectrum</mark> is that the majority of the <mark class="term" data-term="radiation" data-term-def="Energy emitted as particles, waves, or rays." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/radiation/8266">radiation</mark> produced by the Sun and hitting the <mark class="term" data-term="surface" data-term-def="The outside or external part; the topside face of something." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/surface/8275">surface</mark> of the planet Earth falls into this range. Because humans evolved on Earth in the presence of the Sun, it is no accident that our own biological instruments for receiving electromagnetic radiation – our eyes – evolved to detect this range of wavelengths. Other <mark class="term" data-term="organism" data-term-def="Any connected living system, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or bacterium. Organisms may be composed of a single cell or&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/organism/2171">organisms</mark> have evolved sensory organs that are attuned to different parts of the spectrum. For example, the eyes of bees and other insects are sensitive to the <mark class="term" data-term="ultraviolet" data-term-def="Wavelengths between 1 and 380 nanometers (nm) on the electromagnetic spectrum, falling between X-rays (10<sup>-2</sup> nm to 1 nm) and visible&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/ultraviolet/8233">ultraviolet</mark> (UV) portion of the spectrum (not coincidentally, many flowers <mark class="term" data-term="reflect" data-term-def="To change direction in response to hitting a surface; to bounce off in a different direction." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/reflect/8276">reflect</mark> ultraviolet light), and these insects use UV radiation to see. However, since the sun <mark class="term" data-term="emit" data-term-def="To give off or send forth, as in light, particles, or radiation." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/emit/8260">emits</mark> primarily electromagnetic waves in the "visible" <mark class="term" data-term="light" data-term-def="A form of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is that associated with stimulating the organs of sight, which for normal human&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/light/1498">light</mark> region, most organisms have evolved to use this radiation instead of radio or gamma or other waves. For example, plants use this region of the electromagnetic spectrum in <mark class="term" data-term="photosynthesis" data-term-def="Formation of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and a source of hydrogen (as water) in the chlorophyll-containing tissues of plants exposed to light." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/photosynthesis/2194">photosynthesis</mark>. For more information about the different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, visit the Interactive Electromagnetic Spectrum page linked below.</p><p>Maxwell's elegant equations not only unified the concepts of electricity and <mark class="term" data-term="magnetism" data-term-def="Forces of attraction or repulsion between objects." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/magnetism/8279">magnetism</mark>, they also put the familiar and much-studied phenomenon of <mark class="term" data-term="light" data-term-def="A form of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is that associated with stimulating the organs of sight, which for normal human&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/light/1498">light</mark> into a context that allowed scientists to understand its origin and behaviors. Maxwell appeared to have established conclusively that light behaves like a wave, but interestingly enough he also planted the seed of an idea that would lead to an entirely different view of light. It would be another thirty years before a young Austrian physicist named <mark class="term" data-term="Albert Einstein" data-term-def="Theoretical physicist, born in Württemberg, Germany (1879–1955), who became an American citizen in 1940. While working as a patent clerk in&hellip;" data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/Einstein%2C+Albert/4458">Albert Einstein</mark> would cultivate that seed, and in doing so spark the growth of a revolution in our understanding of how the <mark class="term" data-term="universe" data-term-def="The cosmos and everything that exists in it." data-term-url="/en/glossary/view/universe/5288">universe</mark> is put together.</p> </div> </section> <hr class="border-color-dark" /> <footer class="module__footer"> <p class="citation"> <em> Nathaniel Page Stites, M.A./M.S. “Electromagnetism and Light” Visionlearning Vol. PHY-1 (4), 2007. </em> </p>  <div class="title-list" name="further"> <p class="h6 title-list__title"> Further Reading </p> <ul class="grid grid--column-2--md grid--column-3--md gap-1"> <li> <a class="no-hover-focus height-100" href="/en/library/Physics/24/Light-I/132"> <article class="flex-row align-items-center flex-column--md align-items-start--md height-100 theme-light padding-2 gap-2"> <div class="width-30 width-auto--md"> <img class="border-radius box-shadow-1" src="/img/library/moduleImages/featured_image_132-23061210060855.jpeg" alt="The Nature of Light"> </div> <div class="flex-grow-shrink"> <h2 class="h6 font-weight-normal"> The Nature of Light: <em>Particle and wave theories</em> </h2> </div> </article> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div>   </div>  <div class="order-1 order-2--lg module__tools"> <div class="narrow margin-x-auto position-sticky-top font-size-md"> <div class="padding-2 border-radius box-shadow-1--lg"> <div class="tabs" role="tablist"> <nav> <button class="button button--icon-label" id="tab-button-in-this-module" aria-label="Table of Contents" aria-controls="tab-panel-module__tools" aria-selected="true" role="tab"> <span class="icon icon-list" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="button__text">Contents</span> </button> <button class="button button--icon-label" id="tab-button-toggle-terms" aria-controls="tab-panel-toggle-terms" aria-selected="false" role="tab"> <span class="icon icon-glossary-highlight"></span> <span class="button__text">Glossary Terms</span> </button> </nav> <hr class="divider" /> <div class="tabs__panel shown" id="tab-panel-module__tools" aria-labelledby="tab-button-module__tools" role="tabpanel"> <p class="font-weight-bold margin-bottom-1"> Table of Contents </p> <div class="table-of-contents" id="module-toc"> <ul> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138#toc_1">Early experiments in electricity and magnetism</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138#toc_2">Electromagnetic waves</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138#toc_3">The electromagnetic spectrum</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div>   <div class="tabs__panel" id="tab-panel-toggle-terms" aria-labelledby="tab-button-toggle-terms" role="tabpanel"> <div class="reading-toggle"> <div class="reading-toggle__switch"> <div class="form-entry__option__switch"> <label> <input type="checkbox" name="termsToggleSwitch" id="terms-toggle-switch" /> <span class="switch__slider"></span> <span class="option__label text-decoration-none font-size-md"> Highlight Glossary Terms </span> </label> </div> </div> <div class="reading-toggle__help"> <p> <em> Activate glossary term highlighting to easily identify key terms within the module. 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Electromagnetism and Light | Physics | Visionlearning