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Learn Electromagnetism

Go from static charges to Maxwell's equations and the nature of light.

Free to start. Built from a single prompt. No credit card.

Electromagnetism describes how electric charges and currents create fields and how those fields push on other charges. It powers motors, generators, radio and every circuit you own, and it explains light itself as a traveling electromagnetic wave. The subject climbs a clear ladder: Coulomb's law and electric fields, potential and circuits, magnetic fields and forces, induction, and finally Maxwell's four equations that unify the whole thing. A Learnr course in electromagnetism is generated from your prompt and delivered as short, adaptive lessons with interactive practice.

How to learn Electromagnetism, step by step

Get fluent with vectors before fields. Every field problem is vector addition. Practice breaking vectors into components and adding them, then use superposition to find the net field from two or three point charges. Symmetry arguments save huge amounts of work later.
Learn field and potential as a pair. Electric field is force per charge and potential is energy per charge, and the field points downhill in potential. Sketch field lines and equipotential surfaces together for a dipole and parallel plates until the relationship feels obvious.
Practice Gauss's law on symmetric shapes. Choose Gaussian surfaces for a point charge, an infinite line, a sphere and a sheet. The trick is always symmetry, so state why the field is constant on your surface before writing any integral.
Build circuit intuition with Kirchhoff's rules. Solve series and parallel resistor networks, then multi-loop circuits with Kirchhoff's junction and loop rules. Add capacitors and work an RC charging problem, which introduces the exponential time constant you will meet again.
Connect magnetism to moving charge. Use the Lorentz force and the right-hand rule for charges and wires, then find fields from currents with Biot-Savart and Ampere's law. Finish with Faraday's law and Lenz's law by explaining why a magnet falls slowly through a copper pipe.
Assemble Maxwell's equations and review often. Write all four equations side by side and say what each means in words. Steady practice in small Learnr sessions keeps the many right-hand rules and formulas from blending together.

What you'll learn

Calculate forces and fields from point charges with Coulomb's law and superposition
Use Gauss's law to find fields for symmetric charge distributions
Analyze DC circuits with Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's rules
Predict magnetic forces on moving charges and currents with the right-hand rule
Apply Faraday's and Lenz's laws to explain generators, transformers and induced currents

What's inside your Electromagnetism course

A sample path Learnr builds for Electromagnetism. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. Electric charge, Coulomb's law and electric fields
2. Gauss's law, electric potential and capacitors
3. Current, resistance and DC circuits
4. Magnetic fields, forces and Ampere's law
5. Electromagnetic induction and AC circuits
6. Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves

How long does it take to learn Electromagnetism?

An algebra-based course covering electricity, circuits and magnetism takes about 3 to 4 months at 4 to 5 hours a week. The calculus-based version with Gauss's and Ampere's laws in integral form takes a full semester, and the vector-calculus treatment of Maxwell's equations is an upper-level course on top of that.

What you need before you start

Algebra, trigonometry and vectors, plus introductory mechanics. For the calculus-based version you need derivatives and integrals, and multivariable calculus for divergence and curl.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mixing up electric potential and potential energy. Potential is energy per unit charge, so a negative charge moves toward higher potential, not lower.
Using the right-hand rule on a negative charge without flipping the result. Electrons feel a magnetic force opposite to the one your hand gives.
Thinking current gets used up around a circuit. Current is the same through series components, and it is energy, not charge, that the load converts.

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Electromagnetism questions, answered

What math do I need for electromagnetism?

Algebra and trigonometry cover an introductory course. A calculus-based course needs derivatives and integrals, and the full form of Maxwell's equations needs vector calculus with divergence, curl and surface integrals.

Should I learn mechanics before electromagnetism?

Yes. Forces, energy, circular motion and vectors from mechanics are all reused, and electromagnetism is easier once those feel natural.

How does electromagnetism explain light?

Maxwell showed that changing electric and magnetic fields sustain each other as a wave, and the predicted speed of that wave matched the measured speed of light. Light, radio, microwaves and X-rays are all electromagnetic waves at different frequencies.