Definition of

Electromagnetism

Fundamental interaction

Electromagnetism is one of the fundamental interactions.

In order to know the meaning of the term electromagnetism , it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly it comes from the sum of the following lexical components of said language:

-The noun elektron , which means " electricity ."

-The word magnes , which can be translated as " magnet ".

-The suffix -ism , which is used as a synonym for "system" or "activity."

What is electromagnetism

The notion of electromagnetism is used to name the interaction that is established between magnetic fields and electric fields . The concept is also used to name the specialization of physics focused on the study of these issues.

Electromagnetism is responsible for the description of the phenomena that develop from the intervention of electrical charges , both in motion and at rest, which give rise to magnetic and electric fields and which produce effects on gases, liquids and solids.

Interactions

Electromagnetism refers to the interaction between magnetic fields and electric fields.

Development of its fundamentals

Electromagnetism is described as a fundamental interaction that involves subatomic particles and is generated from their electrical charge. Until 1820 , magnetic phenomena and electrical phenomena were taken as independent . In that year, however, the Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted (or Oersted ) accidentally discovered the link between them and thus electromagnetism emerged.

From there, specifically a year later, the scientist Michael Faraday established the foundations of electromagnetism. However, after these advances there were many other very significant ones, such as the one that took place in 1865 when the scientist James Clerk Maxwell , of Scottish origin, carried out the so-called "four Maxwell equations ." In them, what was made clear were the most relevant aspects and the most exhaustive descriptions of electromagnetic phenomena.

Object of study of electromagnetism

It can be said that electromagnetism is responsible for studying the relationship between magnetic phenomena and electrical phenomena. Oersted warned that the forces that originate from electrical charges that are in motion make the appearance of magnetic forces possible.

Electric charges in motion generate, around them, an electric field and also a magnetic field. This magnetic field, in turn, exerts a force on all the electric charges that are in its scope of action : the electromagnetic force . The value of the magnetic fields, on the other hand, is linked to the distance of the point from the conductor , its shape and the intensity of the electric current.

Your applications

In addition to everything stated above, we cannot ignore the existence of another series of aspects about electromagnetism. Specifically, it should be noted that it has multiple applications, among which the following stand out: the relay, the electromagnet and the alternator.

However, it is also present and used in doorbells, in electric motors, in the telephone itself, in dynamos, in microwave ovens, in magnetic cards, in microphones and even in bicycle lights.