Skip to main content
Pearson+ LogoPearson+ Logo
Back

Intro to Electromagnetic (EM) Waves definitions

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/15
  • Electromagnetic Waves
    Waves consisting of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, perpendicular to each other, traveling through space without a medium.
  • Electric Field
    A field around charged particles that exerts force on other charges, oscillating in electromagnetic waves.
  • Magnetic Field
    A field produced by moving electric charges, oscillating perpendicular to the electric field in electromagnetic waves.
  • Right-Hand Rule
    A method to determine the direction of electromagnetic wave travel using hand orientation with electric and magnetic fields.
  • Speed of Light
    The constant speed at which electromagnetic waves travel in a vacuum, approximately 3.0 x 10^8 meters per second.
  • Vacuum
    A space devoid of matter where electromagnetic waves can travel without a medium.
  • Perpendicular
    Describes the orientation of electric and magnetic fields in electromagnetic waves, forming right angles to each other.
  • Oscillation
    The repetitive variation, typically in time, of the magnitude and direction of electric and magnetic fields in waves.
  • Magnitude
    The strength or size of the electric or magnetic field in an electromagnetic wave.
  • Direction
    The path along which electromagnetic waves travel, determined by the right-hand rule.
  • Medium
    A substance through which mechanical waves travel, not required for electromagnetic waves.
  • Mechanical Waves
    Waves that require a medium to travel, such as sound or water waves, unlike electromagnetic waves.
  • Permittivity
    A measure of how an electric field affects and is affected by a dielectric medium, relevant in electromagnetic theory.
  • Permeability
    A measure of the ability of a material to support the formation of a magnetic field within itself.
  • Tesla
    The unit of magnetic field strength in the International System of Units (SI).