General Physics II

Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

 Overview
For this two-week lesson, we will begin by understanding the different
ideas and concepts that are in the scope of light and electromagnetic waves.
Specifically, we will be studying the following:
 Maxwell’s synthesis of electricity, magnetism, and optics
 EM waves and light
 Law of Reflection
 Law of Refraction (Snell’s Law)
 Dispersion
 Maxwell’s Equations
James Clerk Maxwell describe light as
a propagating wave made up of electric
and magnetic fields. His work revealed
that electromagnetic radiation came from
oscillating electric and magnetic fields
traveling as waves with a speed equal to
the speed of light. The mathematical
formula he provided yields the values of
electric and magnetic fields at all points in
space, using one’s knowledge of the
sources of these fields.
 Maxwell’s Equations
Recall that a changing magnetic
field indirectly yields an electric
field. The interaction between the
magnetic field and the electric field
produces the electromagnetic field
or EM field. The electromagnetic
field has been associated with
electromagnetic (EM) waves, in
which light is a component.
 Maxwell’s Equations
EM waves describe propagating
oscillations with respect to electric and
magnetic fields. Maxwell’s wave
equation shows that the speeds of the
waves depend on the combination of
constants involved in electrostatics and
magnetism. His calculations led him to
assert that light must be an EM
disturbance (in the form of waves)
propagating through the EM field in
accordance with EM laws.
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
An electromagnetic wave is understood to be a
transverse wave produced by a vibrating electric charge.
Being a wave, an EM wave possesses the characteristics of
wavelength, frequency and speed. The wavelength is the
measurement of the distance between the successive
crests (highest points) or troughs (lowst points) of a wave.
The frequency is the number of waves that propagate in a
unit of time, usually in seconds. The speed is how fast the
wave is propagating. Based on the wave equation, we have:
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

In the equation, is the speed of light (in ), is its frequency

(in Hertz or ), and is its wavelength (in ). This obeys the
universal wave equation where is the speed of the wave.
The speed of light is such an important quantity that it is
given its own symbol, . The speed of light in a vacuum is
defined as:
or
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
A transverse wave is a wave
in which the movement of the
energy is perpendicular to the
movement of the particle of the
wave, whereas a longitudinal
wave is a wave with the energy
moving parallel to the
movement of the particle of the
wave.
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
As EM waves enter any medium, various properties of
the medium dictate how EM waves will propagate. The
most common of these properties is the index of
refraction. The other two properties are electric
permittivity and magnetic permeability. Electric
permittivity is related to the energy stored in an electric
field, whereas magnetic permeability is similar to the
energy stored in a magnetic field. Their collective effect to
light (being an EM wave) is given by the equation:
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

In this equation, is the speed of light; is the magnetic

permeability, and is the electric permittivity. From this
equation, we can infer that the magnetic permeability and
electric permittivity are inversely proportional to the speed of
light. In other words, as either the magnetic permeability or
electric permittivity increases, the speed of light decreases.
Conversely, a decrease in the values of the constant
quantities considers a higher value for the speed of light.
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
Example 1:
A laser based on yttrium-aluminum garnet (called a
YAG laser) emits a wavelength of . Calculate the
frequency of the laser.
Solution:
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

The frequency of the laser is .

 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
Example 2:
What is the wavelength of a microwave that has a
frequency of ?
Solution:
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

The wavelength of the microwave is .

 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave
Example 3:
As the red light enters a glass, its wavelength has a
value of and a frequency of . What is the speed of light
in the glass?
Solution:
 Light as an Electromagnetic Wave

The speed of light in the glass is.