An electromagnetic field is a physical field that describes the behaviour of electrically charged particles and their interactions. It is a region of space where electric and magnetic forces are present. These fields are created by the presence or movement of electrically charged particles.
- An electromagnetic field results from the coupling of an electric and magnetic field.
- When an electromagnetic field experiences a change in voltage or current its reconfiguration into an electromagnetic wave can be described in terms of wavelength, frequency and energy.
- An electromagnetic wave can be thought to come into existence when a static electric field experiences a change in voltage or a static magnetic field experiences a change in current producing radiating oscillations of electromagnetic energy that propagate through space.
- The difference between an electromagnetic field and an electromagnetic wave is that the wave has a non-zero frequency component which is the source of the energy it transports.
- Electromagnetic radiation is essentially the result of an oscillating electromagnetic field propagating through space.