Electromagnetism in modern society

Ignacio J. Gallegos

In today’s society, it is not uncommon to find people who do not know the basic concept of what electromagnetism or electromagnetic radiation really is. They have heard of magnets and know that their microwaves generate radiation but do not know the why or the how. Given this situation, it has become even scarcer to see people who have an awareness of exactly what role these forces play in their lives or the things they use. We have lost sight of the ‘why’ and replaced it with a natural acceptance that a particular object does a particular function and how it does it is unimportant.

If you were to ask a crane worker how the crane works, he will probably just tell you that the magnet attracts the parts used in the construction and holds them in place. However, if you asked him why it does it, he could not tell you and could probably careless. Indeed, if you were to ask what other applications such magnets have in the rest of his tools, he would probably scoff and tell you that it’s unimportant.

It is this loss of perception in what surrounds us that has led to a society indifferent to what happens behind their technological advancements. However, upon reading and investigating the applications of electromagnetism in our lives, I have found that it is perhaps one of the most important elements of modern society.

Without understanding electromagnetism, we could not have invented electrical generators to power our homes or our vehicles. It was an understanding of the theory of magnetic induction that led to the application of these tools in the everyday life, electrical currents being generated by shifting magnetic fields.

Our entertainment technology such as blu-rays and dvds are reliant on electromagnetism, for example. They use small low-power lasers to read the information stored on the discs and transmit that through the system into the output, thus allowing us to see this information in the form of data or video images. We also use microwaves to cook our food, which use electromagnetic radiation to energize the water molecules in food and heat them up. Not to mention infrared ovens used in modern restaurants to cook food quickly and efficiently.

It would also be impossible to have the entire field of investigation that is known as ‘bioelectromagnetics’ which focuses on the application of electromagnetic radiation into the medical treatment. The results of which can be observed in the now commonly used machine, the ‘MRI’, which is used to detect illnesses and conditions within the human body. Similar to it as well is the X-Ray, which uses focus and ionized electromagnetic radiation to also allow us to see through things. The use of this machine is now widely spread not only in the medical community but also in security uses such as airports, as it allows authorities to detect harmful substances and objects inside bags and cases.

Even outside of the medical communities, the applications of electromagnetism can be seen as in the example earlier. It is used in the form of magnets to facilitate the carrying of heavy materials in constructions and even menial things such as holding a paper against a refrigerator door using a household magnet.

Electromagnetism is even applied to transportation means as of recent years; an example of this is the MagLev train technology. MagLev stands for Magnetic Levitation which is the method that the trains use to move, being sustained and propelled with the use of magnets rather than relying on wheels and friction.

This is not all just limited to civilian use, however, as countries try to adapt electromagnetic equipment for use in military situations to minimize costs and maximize the efficiency of their equipment and weapons. Even in the science community, electromagnetism-based technology has always been a staple of research equipment. It has given the scientific community tools in the form of everything from basic sensors to the kilometer-long Hadron collider.

Thus, it is possible to say that, even if just in small ways, electromagnetism and its applications in all manners have shaped modern society. It has made contributions large and small to our lives, in ways many do not understand. Precisely because of this, we can say that it is one of the most important discoveries of human history.