Electromagnetism

What does it mean for something to have electrical charge? How does the concept of an electric field help us visualize invisible forces? What experiments helped scientists understand electrical interactions? How do conductors and insulators differ at a microscopic level? Which electrical phenomenon do you notice most often in daily life?

How does electric current actually move through wires and components? What roles do resistance, voltage, and current play in simple circuits? How do real-world circuits differ from ideal textbook examples? Why do circuit breakers and fuses protect homes from electrical hazards? Which everyday device would you most like to understand at the circuit level?

What makes certain materials magnetic while others are not? How do magnetic fields arise from moving charges? Why do compasses point north, and what does that reveal about Earth? How do MRI machines use magnetic fields to create detailed images of the body? Which magnetic phenomenon do you find most surprising?

How did Faraday’s discovery of induction transform technology and society? Why does changing a magnetic field create an electric current? How do generators and transformers rely on induction? What makes AC power systems so efficient over long distances? What example of induction have you experienced in everyday life?

How do lenses and mirrors manipulate light to produce clear images? What causes phenomena like rainbows, diffraction, and polarization? Why is light considered both a wave and a particle? How do scientists use the electromagnetic spectrum to study distant objects? Which optical effect do you find most beautiful or mysterious?

What makes Maxwell’s equations one of the greatest achievements in science? How do electric and magnetic fields unify into a single electromagnetic field? Why is the speed of light constant in a vacuum? What real-world technologies rely directly on Maxwell’s work? If you could ask Maxwell one question about his theory, what would it be?