Skip to content
Question of 46

Q.With what speed an electromagnetic wave move in free space?

Jammu Kashmir JkboseJKBOSE Class 12 Annual Regular Examination 2021Subjective· 1mImportance★★★★★
0% · 0/46 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

All electromagnetic waves travel through vacuum at the same speed, c=1/μ0ε0≈3×108c=1/\sqrt{\mu_0\varepsilon_0}\approx 3\times10^8 m/s.

Maxwell showed, by combining his four equations, that a changing electric field produces a changing magnetic field and vice versa, and this mutual generation propagates through space as a transverse electromagnetic wave.

The speed of this wave in free space is given by

c=1μ0ε0c=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\mu_0\varepsilon_0}}

where μ0\mu_0 is the permeability of free space and ε0\varepsilon_0 is the permittivity of free space.

Substituting μ0=4π×10−7 T⋅m/A\mu_0=4\pi\times10^{-7}\ \text{T·m/A} and ε0=8.85×10−12 C2/N⋅m2\varepsilon_0=8.85\times10^{-12}\ \text{C}^2/\text{N·m}^2 gives …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.