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electromagnetic

/ɪlɛktroʊmægˈnɛɾɪk/
/ɪlɛktrəʊmægˈnɛtɪk/
IPA guide

Other forms: electromagnetically

The adjective electromagnetic describes a powerful natural force that's caused by an electrical charge.

Objects that have an electromagnetic charge act like ordinary magnets, attracting and repelling other objects — but the source of their magnetism is an electric current flowing inside them. Electromagnetic, a combination of electric and magnetic, dates from the 1820s, soon after the force itself was discovered by a Danish scientist who noticed a magnetic compass needle moving when it was close to a live electric wire.

Definitions of electromagnetic
  1. adjective
    pertaining to or exhibiting magnetism produced by electric charge in motion
    electromagnetic energy”
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