Editorial: Human Exposure to New-Emerging Electric, Magnetic and Electromagnetic Fields

Electromagnetic (EM) radiation consists of electric and magnetic field components oscillating in planes perpendicular to each other and mutually perpendicular to radiation propagation through space. EM radiation can be classified as a wave, characterized by the properties of waves such as wavelength (denoted as λ) and frequency (represented by ν).
Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks (the highest point) or troughs (the lowest point) in the wave. Frequency is the...

Electric fields generated by static charges, often referred to as electrostatic fields, are characteristically different from electric fields created by time-varying magnetic fields. While the former is a conservative field, implying that no net work is done on a test charge if it goes around in a complete loop in the field, the latter is, by definition, not a conservative field; net work is done, and it is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux.
However, the observation of...

An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...

The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...

Magnetic flux depends on three factors: the strength of the magnetic field, the area through which the field lines pass, and the field's orientation with respect to the surface area. If any of these quantities vary, a corresponding variation in magnetic flux occurs. If the area through which the magnetic field lines are passing changes, then the magnetic flux also changes. This change in the area can be of two types: the flux through the rectangular loop increases as it moves into the...

An emf is induced when the magnetic field in a coil is changed by pushing a bar magnet into or out of the coil. emfs of opposite signs are produced by motion in opposite directions, and the directions of emfs are also reversed by reversing poles. The same results are produced if the coil is moved rather than the magnet—it is the relative motion that is important. The faster the motion, the greater the emf. Additionally, there is no emf when the magnet is stationary relative to the coil.
A...