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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.


electrodynamics British  
/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊdaɪˈnæmɪks /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

electrodynamics Scientific  
/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-dī-nămĭks /
  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


Etymology

Origin of electrodynamics

First recorded in 1820–30; electro- + dynamics

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

They demonstrated the effectiveness of this algorithm by preparing the vacuum state and hadrons within a one-dimensional version of quantum electrodynamics.

From Science Daily Nov. 19, 2025

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

So far, the 2.3-PeV electron scenario is “allowed by classical electrodynamics and ideal magnetohydrodynamics but very, very close to the theoretical limit,” Aharonian says.

From Scientific American Jul. 8, 2021

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

From Washington Post Dec. 30, 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

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