electromagnetic force

American  

[i-lek-troh-mag-net-ik fawrs] / ɪˈlɛk troʊ mægˌnɛt ɪk ˈfɔrs /

noun

electromagnetic forces plural

1. Physics. the interaction between electrically charged particles, responsible for binding atoms and producing electromagnetic radiation, including visible light; the force exerted by electric and magnetic fields on charged particles.

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electromagnetic force Scientific  

/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-măg-nĕt′ĭk /

1. The fundamental force associated with electric and magnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is carried by the photon and is responsible for atomic structure, chemical reactions, the attractive and repulsive forces associated with electrical charge and magnetism, and all other electromagnetic phenomena. Like gravity, the electromagnetic force has an infinite range and obeys the inverse-square law. The electromagnetic force is weaker than the strong nuclear force but stronger than the weak force and gravity. Some scientists believe that the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force are both aspects of a single force called the electroweak force.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• electromagnetic forces
  plural

Example Sentences

The electromagnetic force is long range because the photon has no mass, and the weak force is short range because the particles that convey it, the W and Z, are massive.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

Besides the forces due to static configurations, e.g., the attractive electromagnetic force between positively and negatively charged particles, there can also be forces due to fluctuations.

From Science Daily • Dec. 6, 2023

In electromagnetism, the particle that carries the electromagnetic force, the photon, is itself electrically neutral, which keeps things somewhat simple.

From Scientific American • Feb. 22, 2023

As the outer core's fluid motion generates a magnetic field for our planet, that same magnetic field drives the metallic inner core to rotate through electromagnetic force.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2023

The next category is the electromagnetic force, which interacts with electrically charged particles like electrons and quarks, but not with uncharged particles such as gravitons.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking