Friday, 22 July 2011

What is Electromagnetic Radiation

Everything that we witness through our mortal eyes is in some or the other ways, a manifestation of energy. Energy is the essence of this Universe and life. The term 'radiation' although has a very simple meaning, it has significant usage and effect in the world of Physics. Radiation in Physics language stands for a phenomena in which energetic particles or waves travel through a medium. Correlating this to Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR), we can say that this is nothing but energy particles or wave that travel through a medium and they have the following properties:
* EMRs consist of electric and magnetic waves oscillating in phase perpendicular to each other as well as perpendicular to the direction of energy propagation.
* EMRs possess both wave and particle like characteristics.
So, did you understand what exactly is electromagnetic radiation? You can imagine EMRs to be waves or particles composed of electric and magnetic fields. Did you pay attention as to why I'm referring EMRs either as particles or waves? Well, that is due to the most famous wave-particle duality law in Physics. As per this law, matter exhibits both wave and particle like properties. Electromagnetic waves origin and theory are mostly credited to Scottish Physicist, James Clark Maxwell and the German Physicist, Heinrich Hertz.
                                                                             

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