Properties of Electromagnetic Field Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report In terms of Electrical engineering, Electromagnetic Field plays an important role in describing the motion of electric charge. When an electric charge moves in free space electromagnetic field generated. The electromagnetic field refer to the combination of a magnetic field and an electric field. Electromagnetic field, a property of space caused by the motion of an electric charge. A stationary charge will produce only an electric field in the surrounding space. If the charge is moving, a magnetic field is also produced. Electric and magnetic fields are both components of an electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field is a combination of electric and magnetic field of force, they are dispersive in nature. Table of Content What is Electromagnetic Field? Key Terminologies Properties Categorization Applications ConclusionFAQs What is Electromagnetic Field?Electromagnetic field can be defined as, when an electric charge moves in empty space electromagnetic field generated. The electromagnetic field is the combination of a magnetic field and an electric field. Electric and magnetic fields are both components of an electromagnetic field. Electromagnetic field helps in describing the behavior of charged particles and the propagation of electromagnetic waves. The oscillating charges produce magnetic and electric field are observed in wavelike motion. Key Terminologies of Electromagnetic FieldBoth the Electric field and Magnetic field are essential components of an electromagnetic field, and they both together form the basis of electromagnetism. Magnetic Field: It is the space or region around a magnet in which magnetic force is applied to another metallic material.Formula of Magnetic Field Magnetic field (B) = μ0 /2πrwhere ,B stands for the magnetic field magnitude in Tesla T.where, μ0 stands for the permeability of free space.where, I stands for the magnitude of the electric current in amperes (A)where, r stands for the distance in meters (m)Electric Field: The force around the electrical charge particle is called an electrical field or electric field intensity. In other words, it is an area around the electric field where the force line exists. It has magnitude and direction. Hence, it is a vector quantity. The symbol E expresses the electric field, and it is measured in newton/coulomb.Formula of Electric field = Force/Charge E = F/q Properties of Electromagnetic FieldSome of the properties of Electromagnetic Field are as follows: Scalar and Vector PropertiesTransverse in NatureExhibits Dual NatureSuperposition PrincipleExhibits Wave Like PropertiesDescribes Behavior of Charged ParticlesSpeed of PropagationCharacteristic Wavelength and FrequencyElectromagnetic Spectrum Scalar and Vector Properties Electromagnetic Field has both scalar and vector properties.The scalar properties of the electromagnetic field includes only magnitude. The vector properties of the electromagnetic field includes direction and magnitude.Transverse in NatureElectromagnetic waves are always transverse in nature.The electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.Exhibits Dual NatureElectromagnetic fields shows dual nature, combining the both electric and magnetic components.Electromagnetic field describes the behavior of charged particles and the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Superposition PrincipleElectromagnetic field follows the principle of Superposition, which states , the total electric and magnetic fields at any point in space are the vector sum of the fields from all the sources.According to it , every charge in space creates an electric field which is independent to other charges in that medium only.The field created by different sources simply gets added together as vectors.Exhibits Wave Like PropertiesElectromagnetic fields interact with matter through processes like reflection, refraction, absorption, and scattering.Electromagnetic fields exhibits both wave like and particle like properties, while the photons being the particles associated with them.Electromagnetic field waves travel with a constant velocity in vacuum. Describes Behavior of Charged ParticlesElectromagnetic field describes the behavior of charged particles and the propagation of electromagnetic waves.Electromagnetic field sources consist of two types of charges positive and negative. Sometimes the electromagnetic field and gravitational field ripple each other.Speed of PropagationThe important property of electromagnetic fields is their speed of propagation, which is constant in a vacuum . This speed, denoted as "c," is a universal constant.The speed of any electric wave or in field is the speed of light, in the free space.So the energy is transported according to the speed of light only.Characteristic Wavelength and FrequencyElectromagnetic waves exhibit a characteristic wavelength (λ) and frequency (f). The relationship between these two properties is given by the equation c = λf, where c is the speed of light.We can say that higher the frequency , the higher the energy gets transported and the shorter its wavelength . Electromagnetic SpectrumThe electromagnetic spectrum encompasses the entire range of electromagnetic waves.It is divided into different regions based on wavelength and frequency, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.It is a continuum of electromagnetic waves which are arranged in according to the wavelength and the frequency . Electromagnetic Field Categorization of Electromagnetic Field The structure of electromagnetic field is categorized in two distinct structure: Continuous Structure Discrete StructureContinuous StructureIn Continuous structure both the electric and magnetic fields are thought to be produced by the smooth motion of charged particles. The oscillating charges that produce magnetic and electric fields can be observed in a continuous, smooth and wavelike motion. The energy is viewed as being transferred continuously between two electromagnetic field locations. Continuous and Discrete Electromagnetic field structure Discrete StructureIn Discrete Structure ,the transfer of electromagnetic energy is better described as being carried in the form of packets called "quanta" with a fixed frequency. Several experiments have revealed that in a particular circumstance the electromagnetic energy flows in a fixed frequency or a more harsh way in case of a photon. Photon is a single quantum of light of a specific frequency or any other form of electromagnetic radiation. Planck's relation links the photon energy 'E' of a photon to its frequency 'f' through an equation mentioned below: E = hv where, E stand for Photon Energyh stands for Planck’s Constantv stands for Frequency of Photon Applications of Electromagnetic FieldMobile phones, radio transmitters are a few examples of the Electromagnetic Fields they produce.Electromagnetic Field are produced in kitchen appliances.Radar installations, MRI scanners, welding machines, and induction heaters are a few examples of powerful EMF sources in the workplace. Electromagnetic Fields are produced in the field such as telecommunications.Hospital patients may be exposed to visual radiation and electromagnetic fields. This exposure might be greater than what is considered safe for workers or the general public. ConclusionIn everyday existence, electromagnetic fields are a part of everyone's environment, to varying degrees. Electromagnetic fields (EMF) in some businesses might be significantly stronger than those at home or in public areas. We have seen the electromagnetic field structure and the sources of electromagnetic fields A stationary charge will produce only an electric field in the surrounding space. If the charge is moving, a magnetic field is also produced. We have learn the properties of electromagnetic field in this article. Comment More infoAdvertise with us 190031807cse Follow Improve Article Tags : Geeks Premier League Electrical Engineering Electromagnetic Fields Geeks Premier League 2023 Similar Reads Electrical Engineering Engineering has emerged as one of the most popular career option for majority of population. Electrical Engineering is one such branch of engineering that has emerged as a popular choice. 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