★ Must-know
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) showed that a time-varying electric field generates a magnetic field, completing the symmetry with Faraday’s result that a time-varying magnetic field generates an electric field.
Maxwell’s equations, together with the Lorentz force formula, express the basic laws of electromagnetism and predict electromagnetic waves as coupled time-varying electric and magnetic fields propagating through space. — James Clerk Maxwell
The predicted speed of electromagnetic waves was close to , the measured speed of light, leading to the conclusion that light is an electromagnetic wave. — James Clerk Maxwell
Further detail
1. What electromagnetic relationship did Maxwell add to complement Faraday’s law?
2. What do Maxwell’s equations together with the Lorentz force formula provide?
3. Why did Maxwell conclude that light is an electromagnetic wave?
Who showed that a time-varying electric field generates a magnetic field?
James Clerk Maxwell.
What do Maxwell’s equations and the Lorentz force formula express?
The basic laws of electromagnetism.
What do Maxwell’s equations predict about electromagnetic waves?
They are coupled time-varying electric and magnetic fields propagating through space.
What speed did Maxwell predict for electromagnetic waves?
Close to 3 × 10^8 meters per second.
What conclusion was drawn from the predicted speed of electromagnetic waves?
That light is an electromagnetic wave.
Who experimentally demonstrated electromagnetic waves in 1885?
Heinrich Hertz.
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