A beam of electromagnetic waves, produced by a “ham” transmitter at a frequency just below 450 MHz, is studied using a pair of antennas, one an electric and the other a magnetic “dipole,” each coupled to subminiature lamp bulb. These bulbs become very brightly lit in response to the local time average values of |E|2 and |B|2, respectively. Most strikingly, the interleaving of the electric and magnetic oscillation maxima in a standing wave is seen. This and other aspects of the phenomena are described using an accompanying pedagogical approach which emphasizes the primary idea of wave superposition.
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© 1997 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1997
American Association of Physics Teachers
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