You should work in groups of 2, or 3 students and go through as many problems as

Question

You should work in groups of 2, or 3 students and go through as many problems as you can. Do not move forward until your group has reached an agreement about each answer A long, thin steel wire is cut in half, and each half is connected to a different terminal of a light bulb. An electromagnetic (EM) plane wave moves past the wire, as shown. In what direction is the wave propagating? Explain your reasoning. Is the wave transverse or longitudinal? Explain in terms of the quantities that are oscillating.

Explanation / Answer

In the given case, the electric field and magnetic fields of electromagnetic wave is along y - direction and z - directions respectively. As the direction of propagation of wave is mutually perpendicular to these two directions, it propagates along x - direction.

In the electromanetic wave, the electric field and magnetic field vibrations are perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. Therefore, the nature of the wave is transverse.

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