A plane electromagnetic wave in vacuum is described by its magnetic field vector equation: B = 3 10⁻⁸ (kx + t) j T What is the corresponding vector equation for the electric field E ?

Step-by-step solution

The argument of the sine function is (kx + t) . The positive sign between kx and t indicates that the wave is propagating in the negative x -direction. Thus, the direction of wave propagation is c = - i . The amplitude of the electric field E₀ is related to the amplitude of the magnetic field B₀ by the speed of light c in vacuum: E₀ = c B₀ E₀ = (3 10^8 m s ⁻¹) (3 10⁻⁸ T ) = 9 V m ⁻¹ The direction of propagation is given by the cross product of the directions of the electric and magnetic fields: c = E B - i = E j We