JEE Main20199 Jan 2019Evening ShiftPhysicsElectromagnetic WavesActual
The energy associated with electric field is U E and with magnetic field is U B for an electromagnetic wave in free space. Then:
Options
- AU E > U B
- BU E = U B
- CU E = U B 2
- DU E < U B
Correct answer
B. U E = U B
Step-by-step solution
The average energy density of electric field is given by u E = 1 2 ε E 0 2 Here, E 0 is the maximum value of electric field. The average energy density of magnetic field is given by u B = B 0 2 2 μ Here, B 0 is the maximum value of magnetic field. The speed of light is given by c 2 = 1 μ ε Also, E 0 = c B 0 So, u E = 1 2 c 2 μ c B 0 2 = B 0 2 2 μ = u B As the energy density of electric field and magnetic field are equal, the energy associated for equal volume will also be equal.