electrodynamics

American  

[ih-lek-troh-dahy-nam-iks] / ɪˌlɛk troʊ daɪˈnæm ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of physics that deals with the interactions of electric, magnetic, and mechanical phenomena.

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electrodynamics British  

/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊdaɪˈnæmɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the branch of physics concerned with the interactions between electrical and mechanical forces

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electrodynamics Scientific  

/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-dī-năm′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of electric charge and electric and magnetic fields, along with the forces and motions those fields induce.

2. See also electromagnetism

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Etymology

Origin of electrodynamics

First recorded in 1820–30; electro- + dynamics

Example Sentences

The team's approach is based on cavity quantum electrodynamics, commonly known as cavity QED.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026

During a talk at a conference, Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who devised much of quantum electrodynamics, “without much difficulty shot me to pieces, which I deserved,” he said.

From New York Times • May 8, 2023

In the case of light, the theory involved is known as quantum electrodynamics.

From Washington Post • Dec. 30, 2018

The history of physics of course features successive “leaps” and unifications: Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and the “standard model.”

From Scientific American • Mar. 17, 2018

This caused a lot of trouble when the theory of quantum electrodynamics first came out.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife