electromagnetic force

American  

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

noun

plural

electromagnetic forces

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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Example Sentences

Direct detection has not been possible because dark matter particles do not interact with electromagnetic force -- meaning they do not absorb, reflect or emit light.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

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

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

Thus the attractive and repulsive forces between the individual particles nearly cancel each other out, and there is very little net electromagnetic force.

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