My radio has three receivers: FM (Frequency Modulation), MW (Medium Wave), and SW (Short Wave). I switched the radio to the MW receiver. I pulled the antenna out to its maximum length. I put the radio near the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor. I heard a buzz. That was an electromagnetic noise!
I set the volume of the radio to the max. I turned on a lamp nearby. I heard a burst on the radio. That was an electromagnetic pulse!
Pulse, wave, and noise are different faces of the same thing. Each of them can be mathematically described using one function which takes one time argument.
I felt as if I had met Maxwell (James Clerk Maxwell, 1831-1879) (and perhaps Hertz (Heinrich Hertz, 1857-1894) who showed the presence of this electromagnetic influence; I call the phenomenon ‘electromagnetic influence’ because something influences something else (but it is possible that it also influences itself), allegedly by means of electromagnetism). I felt as if I had somehow sympathised with Maxwell’s challenges when he was formulating the theory of electromagnetism in such a way that it could be comprehended by people who swung their AM radio near things only to hear a buzz and became excited for no apparent reason, like me.
Well, what can I say? I don’t really know electromagnetism; I only believe it or use it until there is sufficient reason for me to move to another theory. But I think this can be used to introduce electromagnetism to children since they aren’t really suited for abstract reasoning. What the hell is abstract reasoning, anyway? Well, I’m just trying to look cool; that’s all. Can’t I?
Let me live!
