Electromagnetism is a branch of physics which involves the study of the electrom

agnetic force, a type of physical interaction that occurs between electrically c

harged particles. The electromagnetic force usually exhibits electromagnetic fie
lds, such as electric fields, magnetic fields, and light. The electromagnetic fo
rce is one of the four fundamental interactions (commonly called forces) in natu
re. The other three fundamental interactions are the strong interaction, the wea
k interaction, and gravitation.[1]
Lightning is an electrostatic discharge that travels between two charged regions
.
The word electromagnetism is a compound form of two Greek terms, ??e?t???, elekt
ron, "amber", and a???t?? ????? magnetis lithos, which means "magnesian stone", a
type of iron ore. Electromagnetic phenomena is defined in terms of the electrom
agnetic force, sometimes called the Lorentz force, which includes both electrici
ty and magnetism as different manifestations of the same phenomenon.
The electromagnetic force plays a major role in determining the internal propert
ies of most objects encountered in daily life. Ordinary matter takes its form as
a result of intermolecular forces between individual atoms and molecules in mat
ter, and are a manifestation of the electromagnetic force. Electrons are bound b
y the electromagnetic force to atomic nuclei, and their orbital shapes and their
influence on nearby atoms with their electrons is described by quantum mechanic
s. The electromagnetic force governs the processes involved in chemistry, which
arise from interactions between the electrons of neighboring atoms.
There are numerous mathematical descriptions of the electromagnetic field. In cl
assical electrodynamics, electric fields are described as electric potential and
electric current. In Faraday's law, magnetic fields are associated with electro
magnetic induction and magnetism, and Maxwell's equations describe how electric
and magnetic fields are generated and altered by each other and by charges and c
urrents.
The theoretical implications of electromagnetism, in particular the establishmen
t of the speed of light based on properties of the "medium" of propagation (perm
eability and permittivity), led to the development of special relativity by Albe
rt Einstein in 1905.
Although electromagnetism is considered one of the four fundamental forces, at h
igh energy the weak force and electromagnetic force are unified as a single elec
troweak force. In the history of the universe, during the quark epoch the unifie
d force broke into the two separate forces as the universe cooled.