Editing Electromagnetism (section)

== A fundamental force ==
[[File:Circular.Polarization.Circularly.Polarized.Light Right.Handed.Animation.305x190.255Colors.gif|thumb|right|220px|Representation of the electric field vector of a wave of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation]]
The electromagnetic force is the second strongest of the four known [[fundamental forces]] and has unlimited range.<ref name="Rehm-2021" >{{Cite web |last1=Rehm |first1=Jeremy |last2=published |first2=Ben Biggs |date=2021-12-23 |title=The four fundamental forces of nature |url=https://www.space.com/four-fundamental-forces.html |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=Space.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822113552/https://www.space.com/four-fundamental-forces.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
All other forces, known as [[Force#Non-fundamental forces|non-fundamental forces]].<ref>Browne, "Physics for Engineering and Science", p. 160: "Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of nature. The other forces such as friction, tension, and the normal force are derived from the electric force, another of the fundamental forces. Gravity is a rather weak force... The electric force between two protons is much stronger than the gravitational force between them."</ref> (e.g., [[friction]], contact forces) are derived from the four fundamental forces. At high energy, the [[weak force]] and electromagnetic force are unified as a single interaction called the [[electroweak interaction]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Salam |first1=A. |last2=Ward |first2=J.C. |date=November 1964 |title=Electromagnetic and weak interactions |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0031916364907115 |journal=Physics Letters |language=en |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=168–171 |doi=10.1016/0031-9163(64)90711-5 |bibcode=1964PhL....13..168S |access-date=2024-02-02 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416150859/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0031916364907115 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most of the forces involved in interactions between [[atom]]s are explained by electromagnetic forces between electrically charged [[atomic nuclei]] and [[electron]]s. The electromagnetic force is also involved in all forms of [[chemistry|chemical phenomena]].

Electromagnetism explains how materials carry momentum despite being composed of individual particles and empty space. The forces we experience when "pushing" or "pulling" ordinary material objects result from [[intermolecular force]]s between individual [[molecule]]s in our bodies and in the objects.

The effective forces generated by the momentum of electrons' movement is a necessary part of understanding atomic and intermolecular interactions. As electrons move between interacting atoms, they carry momentum with them. As a collection of electrons becomes more confined, their minimum momentum necessarily increases due to the [[Pauli exclusion principle]]. The behavior of matter at the molecular scale, including its density, is determined by the balance between the electromagnetic force and the force generated by the exchange of momentum carried by the electrons themselves.<ref>Purcell, "Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd Edition", p. 546: Ch 11 Section 6, "Electron Spin and Magnetic Moment."</ref>