ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

Definition: a wave resulting from a strong interaction between an E-field and

B-field that propagates in space.

There are 3 basic rules that underlie the occurrence of electromagnetic

waves.
• An E-field can be created by an electric charge
• B-field can be generated by electric currents
• An E-field can be generated by a changing B-field .
 In 1864, James Clerk Maxwell put forward a hypothesis. Maxwell
reversed the 3rd rule “an electric field can be generated by a changing B-field”,
and suspected that a B-field can also be created by a changing E-field.
Electric charge oscillation model:

When there is a change in the electric field (E) there will be a change in the B-
field. This change in the magnetic field will cause a change in the electric field
again and so on. Where changes in the magnetic field and electric field are
what produce electric field waves and B-field waves that can propagate in a
vacuum.
Electromagnetic wave propagation
The speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves depends on the electrical
permittivity and magnetic permeability of the medium. The equation of
electromagnetic waves according to Maxwell is: 

C =speed of electromagnetic wave, 3x

= 8,85x
=4
The speed of propagation of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum calculated by
Maxwell, has the same magnitude as the speed of propagation of light,
Therefore, it can be concluded that light is an electromagnetic wave.

The speed of electromagnetic waves in a materia medium is given by

V = =
From the results of Maxwell's hypothesis, In 1888, Heinrich Hertz proved
Maxwell's initial hypothesis, regarding the electromagnetic with an
experiment.

To generate electrical oscillations he used a Ruhmkorf inductor. The waves

found in experiments conducted by Hertz were measured in speed and
exactly the same as Maxwell's calculations.
ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM