electromagnetism

American  

[ih-lek-troh-mag-ni-tiz-uhm] / ɪˌlɛk troʊˈmæg nɪˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. the phenomena associated with electric and magnetic fields and their interactions with each other and with electric charges and currents.

2. Also the science that deals with these phenomena.

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electromagnetism British  

/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈmæɡnɪˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. magnetism produced by an electric current

2. Also called: electromagnetics.  the branch of physics concerned with magnetism produced by electric currents and with the interaction of electric and magnetic fields

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electromagnetism Scientific  

/ ĭ-lĕk′trō-măg′nĭ-tĭz′əm /

1. Any of the wide range of phenomena associated with the behavior and interaction of electric charges and electric and magnetic fields, such as electricity, magnetism, chemical bonds, and all forms of electromagnetic radiation, including light.

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Etymology

Origin of electromagnetism

First recorded in 1820–30; electro- + magnetism

Example Sentences

Ordinary matter is affected by four known fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak forces within atoms.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2025

“Our study completes the work of Albert Einstein in his attempt to relate gravity and electromagnetism forces in the same geometric theory,” Monjo, a professor of mathematics at Saint Louis University in Spain, told Salon.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

To join the known physics laws of thermodynamics, electromagnetism and Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, the nine scientists and philosophers behind the paper propose their “law of increasing functional information.”

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2023

The dark photon is a hypothetical hidden sector particle, proposed as a force carrier similar to the photon of electromagnetism but potentially connected to dark matter.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

After another ludicrously brief interval it was joined by electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces–the stuff of physics.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson