Question

Why is light called electromagnetic radiation? What does it mean?

Answer 1

1. Light is composed of an electric field and a magnetic field with it.

2. As we know that, light is the energy that we get from a proton. This proton has an electric field and a magnetic field that travel perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light. This means that when we take a light wave into account, we also talk about it's electrical and magnetic properties.

3. Thus, we call light rays as electromagnetic radiations to denote its electrical and magnetic properties.

Note: This information is elaborated in class 12 physics.