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Electromagnetic Theory

George Green was the first to create a mathematical theory of electricity and magnetism, forming the foundation for scientists like James Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson. James Clerk Maxwell formulated electromagnetic theory and connected light to electromagnetic waves by developing the concept of the electromagnetic force field. Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831 by showing that a changing magnetic field induces electric current. J.J. Thomson's research led to the discovery of the electron and innovations in atomic structure. Joseph Henry discovered electromagnetic self-induction and mutual induction while building electromagnets.

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325 views4 pages

Electromagnetic Theory

George Green was the first to create a mathematical theory of electricity and magnetism, forming the foundation for scientists like James Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson. James Clerk Maxwell formulated electromagnetic theory and connected light to electromagnetic waves by developing the concept of the electromagnetic force field. Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831 by showing that a changing magnetic field induces electric current. J.J. Thomson's research led to the discovery of the electron and innovations in atomic structure. Joseph Henry discovered electromagnetic self-induction and mutual induction while building electromagnets.

Uploaded by

Ingrid Gomez
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY PROPONENTS

George Green
- was the first person to create a mathematical theory of electricity
and magnetism and his theory formed the foundation for the work
of other scientists such as James Clerk Maxwell, William
Thomson, etc.

http://scihi.org/george-green-electricity-magnetism/

James Clerk Maxwell


- a Scottish physicist best known for his formulation of
electromagnetic theory and for making the connection between
light and electromagnetic waves.
- Developed the mathematical concept of the 'electro-magnetic force
field' as a way of mathematically describing action-at-a-distance for
charged particles (i.e. electrons and protons).
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/timeline/people/maxwell.html
https://www.spaceandmotion.com/physics-electromagnetic-waves-field-
theory.htm?fbclid=IwAR13IxjlTKBa1sxw-
M9oirvsf6T7fbr2Y3OQIQ11bO8fuXMrDCPgO2RsDlM

Michael Faraday
- Electromagnetic technology began with Faraday's discovery of
induction in 1831 (see above). His demonstration that a changing
magnetic field induces an electric current in a nearby circuit
showed that mechanical energy can be converted to electric
energy.

https://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetism/Faradays-
discovery-of-electric-induction

J.J Thomson
- His research in cathode rays led to the discovery of the electron,
and he pursued further innovations in atomic structure exploration.
https://nationalmaglab.org/education/magnet-academy/history-of-
electricity-magnetism/pioneers/joseph-john-thomson

Joseph Henry
- an American scientist and engineer.
- While building electromagnets, he discovered the electromagnetic
phenomenon of self-inductance. He also discovered mutual
inductance, independently of Michael Faraday, but Faraday was
the first to publish his results.

https://edisontechcenter.org/JosephHenry.html
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE THEORY

Brief History of Electromagnetic Theory

Electricity and magnetism – in physics, these two words often go


together like horse and carriage, in electromagnetism and
electromagnetic induction. Let us meet the original players in
electromagnetism: Oersted, Ampere, Faraday, Henry, and Maxwell
along with many others who laid the groundwork for the understanding of
the concepts of electromagnetic theory. Danish physicist, Hans Christian
Oersted discovered accidentally, in 1820 that a magnetic needle is
deflected when the current in a nearby wire varies – a phenomenon
establishing a relationship between electricity and magnetism.

Andre-Marie Ampere, influenced by Oersted's discovery, performed a


series of experiments designed to elucidate the exact nature of the
relationship between electric current flow and magnetism, as well as the
relationships governing the behavior of electric currents in various types
of conductors. These experiments led Ampere to formulate his famous
law of electromagnetism, called after him Ampere’s Law describes
mathematically the magnetic force between two electrical currents.

Michael Faraday made his first discovery of electromagnetism in 1821.


He took the work of Oersted and Ampere on the magnetic properties of
electrical currents as a starting point and in 1831 achieved an electrical
current from a changing magnetic field, a phenomenon known as
electromagnetic induction. He found that when an electrical current
passed through a coil, another very short current was generated in a
nearby coil. This discovery marked a decisive milestone in the progress
not only of science but also of society and is used today to generate
electricity on a large-scale power station.

Joseph Henry, while working with electromagnets in 1829, made


important design improvements by insulating the wire instead of the iron
core. He was able to wrap a large number of turns of wire around the
core and thus greatly increase the power of the magnet. He had made
an electromagnet that could support 2 063 pounds, a world record at the
time. He also searched for electromagnetic induction and in 1831, he
started to build a large electromagnet for that purpose. He was the first
to notice the principle of self-induction. A brilliant physicist and
mathematician, James Clerk Maxwell, proposed Faraday’s
electromagnetic induction to happen even in empty space. The
symmetry between the fields fascinated him so much. He added two
basic principles of electromagnetism: (1) a changing electric field in
space produces a magnetic field, (2) a changing magnetic field in space
produces an electric field.

Maxwell proposed that the alteration of electric and magnetic fields,


generating and propelling each other in space can be thought of as a
form of moving energy. Maxwell further thought of this form of energy as
a wave which he called an electromagnetic wave. Using mathematical
computations based on his theoretical assumption and the numerical
results of Faraday’s experiments, Maxwell concluded that the speed of
electromagnetic waves must be 3 x 108 m/s. It was only after the death
of Maxwell that a German physicist, Heinrich Hertz, designed an
experimental setup that was electrical in nature and able to generate and
detect electromagnetic waves.

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