Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) Around Us

What Exactly is Electromagnetic Energy?

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are force fields having both electric and magnetic components, carrying a definite energy, and capable of producing an action at a distance

Electromagnetic radiation consists of two traveling-companion waves:

(1)  An electrical field (E-Field).   Created by voltage (a potential difference between two points) and determines the force with which electricity is pushed through an electrical pathway (e.g. a wire, nerves, body's meridians) to produce a current. E-Field strength is measured in volts per meter (V/m).

E.g. A plugged-in, unlit lamp or a charged battery has an electric field. An electric field varies with the amount of the source voltage and decreases rapidly with the distance between the two points.

(2)  A magnetic field (B-Field).   A flowing electric current always produces an expanding magnetic field in addition to an electric field, with lines of force at a 90-degree angle to the direction of current flow.

E.g. A lit lamp or an operating appliance has both an electric and a magnetic field. B-Field strength is measured in amperes per meter (A/m).

E-Fields and B-Fields travel at right angles to each other and at right angles to the direction of wave propagation. Together they make up the total EMF. EMF strength indicates how many volts or amperes the EMF will induce in a receiving antenna that is one meter long.

Currents changing direction produce EMFs which change direction (i.e. they vibrate/oscillate).    EM waves arise as a consequence of  the following two concurrent effects:

(1)  A changing electric field.     If a current is fluctuating (vibrating), E.g. alternating Current (AC), the EM waves will fluctuate along with it. This changing field is characterized by its rate of fluctuation or vibration, called its frequency. Frequencies are expressed in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz.)

or (2) A changing magnetic field.    Induces an oscillating current in an electrical pathway, which in turn creates a changing electric field (see above).