ELECTROMAGNETISM

The interaction of electric currents or fields and magnetic fields.

The physics of electricity and magnetism. An interaction between electricity and
magnetism, as when an electric current or a changing electric field generates a
magnetic field, or when a changing magnetic field generates an electric fiend

HISTORY

Electromagnetism is an area of physics which involves the study of the electromagnetic

force, a type electromagnetic force usually produces electromagnetic fields, such
as electric fields, magnetic fields and light. The electromagnetic force is one of the
four fundamental interactions (commonly called forces) in nature. The other three
fundamental interactions are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation.

Until 1820, the only magnetism known was that of iron magnets and of
"lodestones," natural magnets of iron-rich ore. It was believed that the inside of the
Earth was magnetized in the same fashion, and scientists were greatly puzzled when
they found that the direction of the compass needle at any place slowly shifted, decade
by decade, suggesting a slow variation of the Earth's magnetic field.

DISCOVERED

Edmond Halley's Theories

How can an iron magnet produce such changes? Edmond Halley (of comet fame)
ingeniously proposed that the Earth contained a number of spherical shells, one inside
the other, each magnetized differently, each slowly rotating in relation to the others.

Hans Christian Oersted: Electromagnetism Experiments

Hans Christian Oersted was a professor of science at Copenhagen University. In 1820

he arranged in his home a science demonstration to friends and students. He planned
to demonstrate the heating of a wire by an electric current, and also to carry out
demonstrations of magnetism, for which he provided a compass needle mounted on a
wooden stand.

While performing his electric demonstration, Oersted noted to his surprise that every
time the electric current was switched on, the compass needle moved. He kept quiet
and finished the demonstrations, but in the months that followed worked hard trying to
make sense out of the new phenomenon.

However, Oersted could not explain why. The needle was neither attracted to the wire
nor repelled from it. Instead, it tended to stand at right angles. In the end, he published
his findings without any explanation.

Andre Marie Ampere and Electromagnetism

Andre Marie Ampere in France felt that if a current in a wire exerted a magnetic force on
a compass needle, two such wires also should interact magnetically. In a series of
ingenious experiments, Andre Marie Ampere showed that this interaction was simple
and fundamental: parallel (straight) currents attract, anti-parallel currents repel. The
force between two long straight parallel currents was inversely proportional to the
distance between them and proportional to the intensity of the current flowing in each.

There thus existed two kinds of forces associated with electricity—electric and
magnetic. In 1864, James Clerk Maxwell demonstrated a subtle connection between the
two types of force, unexpectedly involving the velocity of light. From this connection
sprang the idea that light was an electric phenomenon, the discovery of radio waves,
the theory of relativity and a great deal of present-day physics.

USES
Electromagnets are widely used as components of other electrical devices, such
as motors, generators, electromechanical solenoids, relays, loudspeakers, hard
disks, MRI machines, scientific instruments, and magnetic separation equipment.
Electromagnets are also employed in industry for picking up and moving heavy iron
objects such as scrap iron and steel
APPLICATION
Applications of Electromagnetism Electromagnetism has so many technological
applications we couldn't possibly cover them all in a single lesson, or in detail in an
entire course of lessons, so we'll just talk about some of the most interesting ones. You
could argue that the most important applications of anything are the medical ones. And
the most commonly cited medical application of electromagnetism is magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. MRI scanners are basically gigantic
electromagnets; magnets that can be controlled by turning the flow of electricity up or
down. Using these gigantic electromagnets, we are able to take images of the inside of
the human body. This allows us to diagnose diseases, and even see issues inside the
brain. An MRI scanner is the scary coffin-like tube that you see people being

wheeled into on medical shows. But scary as it might be for anyone who doesn't like
confined spaces, MRI has saved a great many lives

Advantages

One advantage to using an electromagnetic energy source is that, depending upon the
electromechanical device used, you don’t need an external electrical source to generate
electrical power. One example of this is an alternating-current (AC) generator. When
rotational mechanical energy turns a coil inside of the generator, it exposes that coil to
changes in magnetic field. Those changes induce the production of alternating current
voltage – voltage where the current changes directions with a certain frequency –
between the two output ends of the coil. Since no other energy is required other than
the mechanical motion of the rotating coil, this type of device can be advantageous in
situations where there is a ready source of mechanical energy, such as a steam or gas
turbine, or a diesel or gasoline engine.Another advantage of using an electromagnetic
energy source is that you can generate either AC or direct-current (DC) electrical power.
As noted before, an AC generator uses changing magnetic fields to create AC electrical
power. A DC generator operates in a similar fashion; however, it requires a few extra
pieces to convert AC electrical power to DC. Many DC motors and generators use a
device called a commutator to convert the alternating current that comes out of the
power generator into current that flows in only one direction, or direct current. As with an
AC generator, many types of DC generators only require a reliable source of
mechanical energy to generate electricity.

CONCLUSION

.Therefore I conclude that electromagnetism has very important scientific and

technological applications. It is used in many electrical appliances to generate desired
magnetic fields. It is even used in a electric generator to produce magnetic fields for
electromagnetic induction to occur.
It has many more technological applications including MRI scanning (magnetic
resonance imaging) and electric bells.Also Electromagnetism is useful due to it's
numerous technological and scientific applications in our daily life which include,
electrical appliances, electric bells, electric generators, electric motors and MRI
scanning.
Globalization, industrialization and urbanization wouldn't have been possible without
electromagnets and their awesome applications.