Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Electromagnetic Field

• Electric fields and magnetic fields
• Maxwell's equations

An electromagnetic field is a region in space in which electric and magnetic forces interact. A magnetic compass will detect a magnetic field when held close to an electric wire carrying current to a lit lightbulb. The region around the wire has both electrical and magnetic properties and is, therefore, an electromagnetic field.

Electric fields and magnetic fields

At one time, scientists thought that electricity and magnetism were totally different forms of energy. The fact that a magnet can pick up certain kinds of materials was thought to have no connection with the flow of electrons through a wire. During the early 1800s, however, experiments began to disprove this view. The movement of electrons and magnetic...