objectives

• Trace the development of electromagnetic wave theory

• Define electromagnetic waves

• Describe the transmission and propagation of electromagnetic waves

• Discuss the properties of EM waves

Timeline in the Development of Electromagnetic waves

• Alessandro Volta

• Hans Christian Oersted

• Andre Marie Ampere

• Michael Faraday

• James Clerk Maxwell

• Heinrich Hertz

Alessandro Volta (1745-1827)

Italian physicist known especially for the development of the first electric cell in 1800.

Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851)

Danish physicist and chemist. He discovered electromagnet. He discovered that electric current generates magnetic field.

Andre Marie Ampere (1775-1836)

French physicist and mathematician. He investigated electric current and electrodynamics. His most significant contribution was the mathematical formulation of magnetism, known as Ampere Law in 1827.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

English chemist and physicist. He discovered the laws of electrolysis and electromagnetic induction and described his life's work in Experimental Researches on Electricity.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

One of the world's greatest theoretical physicists. Maxwell's most important work was on the theory of electromagnetic radiation. He also formulated the kinetic theory of gases.

Hienrich Hertz (1857-1894)

German physicist, discovered electromagnetic waves and found they behave like light waves except for the wavelength. He was reputedly the first man to broadcast and receive radio waves and unit of the frequency was named after him.

Electromagnetic waves or EM waves

waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field

Transmission and propagation of EM waves

The transmission of electrical energy by wires, the broadcasting of radio signals, and the phenomenon of visible light are all examples of the propagation of electromagnetic energy. Electromagnetic energy travels in the form of a wave.