PHY202H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Electric Field
Document Summary
Maxwell"s equations say that a changing electric field produces a magnetic field and a changing magnetic field produces an electric field. The above processes cam result in a pattern of electric and magnetic fields that travel at a speed of about 3* 108 m/s in empty space. A wave is a pattern in a substance. There are periodic waves that repeat in time and space. These waves can be describe by their wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed. The distance over which a periodic wave repeats is called the wavelength or. The frequency (nu) is the number of wave cycles passing a point in the substance every second. The unit of frequency is cycles/ second or hz (hertz). A wave"s speed is determined by the properties of the substance through or on which the wave travels. Wave speed = change in position/ change in time = wavelength * frequency.
