Electromagnetic Waves and

Maxwell’s Equation
(Seminar Presentation)

National Institute of Technology

Patna
 Content

• Basic sources of electromagnetic waves .

• Maxwell’s equation.
• Electromagnetic wave.
• Spectrum of electromagnetic wave.
• Properties and use of electromagnetic wave.
Field associated with charge motion
 Basic sources of electromagnetic waves

• A charge oscillating harmonically is a source of

electromagnetic wave of same frequency.

• H.R. Hertz experiment confirmed the fact that a vibrating

electric charge radiates electromagnetic waves.

• James CLARK MAXWELL of SCOTLAND gave a set of

formulae for electric charge, current and their electric field as
well as magnetic field.
 Four laws of electromagnetism
Electric Magnetic
Gauss' Law Gauss' Law
 E  dA 
q
0  B  dA  0
Charges make E fields No magnetic monopoles
Ampere's Law Faraday's Law
 d
 B  dl  0 I   
0 0
d
dt
E
 E  dl  
dt
B

Currents make B fields Changing B make E fields

(so does changing E)
 Maxwell’s Equations of Electromagnetism
in Vacuum (no charges, no masses)
Consider these equations in a vacuum.....
......no mass, no charges. no currents.....

q
 E  dA   0  E  dA  0
 B  dA  0  B  dA  0
d B d B
 E  dl   dt  E  dl   dt
   d E d E
 B  dl  0 I  0 0
dt  B  dl  0 0 dt
 Electromagnetic waves

d E d B
 B  dl  0 0 dt  E  dl   dt
v
B 
dE E 
dB
dt
dt

 
Special case..PLANE WAVES... E  E y ( x ,t ) j B  Bz ( x ,t )k
 2 1  2
satisfy the wave equation  2 2
x 2  t
Maxwell’s Solution   A sin( t   )   A sin( t  Kx)
 Electromagnetic wave
• What happens when electric and magnetic fields
change?
• A changing magnetic field creates a changing electric field.
• One example of this is a transformer which transfers electric
energy from one circuit to another circuit.
 Making electromagnetic waves
• When an electric charge vibrates, the electric field around it
changes creating a changing magnetic field.
 Electromagnetic spectrum

• We give different names to different “parts” of the

electromagnetic spectrum. These “parts” are separated
according to wavelength.
• These names are very familiar to you.
• Your eyes are sensitive to only the very tiny part of the
spectrum which we call “visible light”
 EM spectrum

Longest wavelength Shortest wavelength

Lowest frequency Highest frequency
 Properties of EM waves

• All matter contains charged particles that are always moving;

therefore, all objects emit EM waves.
• The wavelengths become shorter as the temperature of the
material increases.
• EM waves transport energy.
• EM waves are transverse in nature.
• All EM waves travel 300,000 km/sec in space. (speed of light-
nature’s limit!)
• EM waves usually travel slowest in solids and fastest in gases.
 Uses of electromagnetic wave
•Radio waves – GPS, MRI, RADAR
•Microwaves – heating up food
•Infrared waves – heat lamps, warmth
•Visible Light – what we can see
•Ultraviolet rays (UV) –causes cancer and
vitamin D
•X-rays – too much exposure can cause cancer
•Gamma rays – radiation, hulk, nuclear weapons
• THANK YOU