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Electromagnetic field
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Learn about Michael Faraday's and James Clerk Maxwell's discovery of the
electromagnetic field and waves
The properties of electromagnetic fields and waves.
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Electromagnetic field, a property of space caused by the motion of an electric charge.
A stationary charge will produce only an electric field in the surrounding space. If the
charge is moving, a magnetic field is also produced. An electric field can be produced
also by a changing magnetic field. The mutual interaction of electric and magnetic fields
produces an electromagnetic field, which is considered as having its own existence in
space apart from the charges or currents (a stream of moving charges) with which it
may be related. Under certain circumstances, this electromagnetic field can be
described as a wave transporting electromagnetic energy.

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radiation: The passage of electromagnetic rays
A discussion of this subject requires preliminary definition of a few of the more common terms.
Around every particle, whether it be at...

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen, Senior Editor.

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radiation: The passage of electromagnetic rays

A discussion of this subject requires preliminary definition of a few of the more common
terms. Around every particle, whether it be at rest or in motion, whether it be charged or
uncharged, there are potential fields of various kinds.…

electromagnetic radiation: The electromagnetic wave andHelp

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Faraday introduced the concept of field and of field lines of force that exist outside material
bodies. As he explained it, the region around and outside a magnet or an electric charge
 contains a field that describes at any location the force experienced…

electricity: Superposition principle

…an important property of the electromagnetic field known as the superposition principle.
According to this principle, a field arising from a number of sources is determined by adding
the individual fields from each source. The principle is illustrated by Figure 3, in which an…

Electromagnetic field
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Science
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WRITTEN BY
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from
years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
See Article History

Discussion with Kara Rogers of how the scientific model is used to test a hypothesis or
represent a theory
Kara Rogers, senior biomedical sciences editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, discussing the difference
between a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory.
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Science, any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical
off andworld and its
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phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation. In
general, a science involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the
operations of fundamental laws.

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When did science begin?

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Science can be divided into different branches based on the subject of study. The
physical sciences study the inorganic world and comprise the fields of astronomy,
physics, chemistry, and the Earth sciences. The biological sciences such as biology and
medicine study the organic world of life and its processes. Social sciences like
anthropology and economics study the social and cultural aspects of human behaviour.

Science is further treated in a number of articles. For the history of Western and
Eastern science, see science, history of. For the conceptualization of science and its
interrelationships with culture, see science, philosophy of. For the basic aspects of the
scientific approach, see physical science, principles of; and scientific method.

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 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen, Senior Editor.

LEARN MORE in these related Britannica articles:

myth: Myth and science

Attention has sometimes focused on changes occurring in the way the real world is
apprehended by different peoples and how these changes in “reality” are reflected in myths.
This reality changes continually throughout history, and these changes have especially…

magic: Magic and science

Although magic is similar in some respects to science and technology, it approaches efficacy (the ability to
produce a desired material outcome) differently. Magic, like religion, is concerned with invisible, nonempirical
forces; yet, like science, it also makes claims to efficacy. Unlike science, which…

Christianity: Modern views of God

Some notable scientists of the 20th century, such as Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Max Born,
and others, allowed—on occasion, and against the testimony of the majority of their
colleagues—for an idea of God or religion in their concepts of life, the universe, and human…

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 Science

KEY PEOPLE
Aristotle
Emanuel Swedenborg
William Hyde Wollaston
Marin Mersenne
Bruce Alberts
Nicholas Of Cusa
Jacob van Maerlant
Nicolas-Claude Fabri de
Peiresc
James Rhyne Killian, Jr.
Alexander Neckam

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Evolution
Radiation
Astronomy
Cell
Linguistics
Chemical bonding
Language
Principles of physical science
Anthropology
Metabolism

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