Electrodynamics studies phenomena linked to electricity in motion.
Electrodynamics is the discipline dedicated to analyzing the phenomena generated by electricity when it is in motion . These studies are aimed at the interaction of magnetic and electric fields with moving charges.
Before moving forward, it is worth remembering that electricity is a force that arises from the presence of protons and electrons and originates from the rejection or attraction between charged particles .
Object of study of electrodynamics
The behavior that these particles adopt in electric and magnetic fields, the transmission of electromagnetic waves and the forces that are induced by variable magnetic fields are some of the questions investigated by electrodynamics, whose origins date back to the first half of the 19th century. .
It is important to keep in mind that all bodies are made up of atoms or molecules , in turn composed of electrons , neutrons and protons . Electrons have a negative electrical charge, neutrons have a neutral charge, and protons have a positive charge.
Movement of electric charges
The foundation of electrodynamics is found in the movement of electrical charges that use a conductive material to move. This movement gives rise to multiple phenomena and produces numerous effects that are studied by electrodynamics.
The uninterrupted passage of electrons through a conductor is what is known as electric current . For this to happen, there must be a potential difference between two points of the conductor. An electromotive force , meanwhile, is necessary for electric charges to be set in motion and a circuit to operate, according to the principles of electrodynamics.
Quantum electrodynamics
The theory that covers the phenomena in which electrically charged particles act reciprocally through the electromagnetic force is known as quantum electrodynamics or EDC . Among those conceived in the 20th century, it is considered one of those that offer the greatest precision, since it allows predictions of physical magnitudes to be made with twenty decimal places , something that does not usually happen with other theories. This earned him the nickname "the jewel of physics."
Two of the predictions with the highest degrees of precision obtained thanks to quantum electrodynamics are the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the electron and the Lamb shift of the hydrogen atom in its energy levels . Speaking specifically about the theory, it is a detailed description of the relationship between charged particles and photons, and it has some aspects in common with the classical one.
The behavior of particles in electric fields is part of the subject of study of electrodynamics.
If we take the classical description of optics, for example, light travels all possible paths; With respect to photons, quantum electrodynamics states that they also travel through all the paths that optical systems or apertures allow. In both cases, the result is only detected once all the waves are superimposed in line integrals . However, only in the second, the photon can reach an effective speed greater than that of light on average.
One of the achievements that quantum electrodynamics made possible for the scientific community was the resolution of the problems that existed until its arrival in describing the fields, the creation and the elimination of quantum particles. We must add that the values that can be achieved through this theory are not specific but only those that would be possible in a given type of situation. For this reason, their experiments use a large number of particles that are dispersed according to statistics made in advance.