• Question: 4. What is an electromagnet force?

    Asked by sophiejjxxsj to Miranda, Freya, Daniel, James, Usman on 16 Jun 2015. This question was also asked by lucylocket.
    • Photo: Daniel Hewson

      Daniel Hewson answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      Hi Sophie,

      The force of an electromagnetic wave is defined in terms of how much energy it has. We can know how much energy a wave has by its frequency. Diagrams of the electromagnetic spectrum often show the frequency of the waves and tell you which waves have high frequencies and which ones have low frequencies. Your radio works because it detects low frequency waves. X-rays use high frequency waves or waves with high energy that pass through most of our flesh except the bones.

    • Photo: Usman Bashir

      Usman Bashir answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      Its the force between charges – opposite charges attract and same charges repel.

    • Photo: James Gilbert

      James Gilbert answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      On a small scale, the electromagnetic force is a naturally occurring phenomenon between particles (e.g. atoms). It’s actually an extremely strong force (stronger than gravity!), but on a very small scale. When we look at bigger objects like magnets (made up of loads of atoms) then we see the effect of electromagnetism more easily.

    • Photo: Freya Wilson

      Freya Wilson answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      If two things have a charge then the elecromagnetic force is the thing that decides how they will react to each other. It is what creates electricity and it is what creates magnetism too! It’s based on the charges of the tiny particles- particles called electrons have a negative charge, and protons have a positive charge

    • Photo: Miranda Jackson

      Miranda Jackson answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      There are electrostatic forces, determined by how much charge is present and how far charged objects are away from each other. There are also magnetic forces, which act on a charged object moving through a magnetic field.

      An electromagnet is a specific type of magnet that is made stronger by running a current through a coil of wire that is wrapped around the magnet. Such a magnet can be many times stronger than a regular magnet, meaning that the magnetic field is stronger. Such magnets are used in commonplace machines such as vacuum cleaners, fans, and electric cars.

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