What Is Electromagnetism?

There are some things you would be amazed to know about. They are as seamlessly integrated with your lives as you wouldn't notice them. Here are a few samples. How does your phone know to turn off when you put it on airplane mode? How does the microwave know when to stop cooking your burrito? How do those lights outside your house know when to turn on at night? It's all thanks to electromagnetism. The electromagnetic force, which results from the electromagnetic force between electrically charged particles, is a research branch of physics. Electromagnetism is one of four fundamental interactions in nature: along with gravitation, weak interaction and strong interaction, it happens between electrically charged particles. In the 19th century, scientists discovered electromagnetism and began using it extensively. Today, electromagnetism is used in everything from cell phones to computers, cars, and even our bodies! When you think about electromagnetism, what do you think of it? Maybe a giant magnet that sticks to your fridge door? Or perhaps a tangle of wires in the back of your computer? Well, all of that is correct. It also needs to be corrected. Electromagnetism is a field of study that has existed since the ancient Greeks and Romans. It involves electricity and magnetism, similar to what you might think. Electromagnetism is all about how different types of fields interact with each other. When electricity passes through something (like a wire), it creates an electromagnetic field around it. The current flow direction decides which direction the magnetic field will rotate around the wire. Depending on how strong the current is or how long the wire is, that magnetic field can be stronger or weaker than others! There's more! You can change that magnetic field by changing its strength or direction or adding another magnetic field! When you do… well… things get interesting!